


Cirque Fantasia

by Killibinbin



Category: K-pop, SHINee
Genre: Circus, Fantasy, M/M, and cirque du soleil, but not main characters, but not the typical circus, but nothing is super graphic, i think, it is a bit bloody, mentions of rape/non-con, the mature rating is for the rape/non-con elements and the deaths, there is also character death, this was inspired by the anime kaleido star
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-24 20:44:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 32,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20712269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Killibinbin/pseuds/Killibinbin
Summary: A circus had set up in the small seaside town Jonghyun lived in. It arrived quietly one day and took up residency in the large dome standing proudly on one of the cliffs out in the water. The Dome had been abandoned for years, so everyone was shocked when one night there were warm lights shining in the lanterns that adorned the bridge out to the cliff. Excited, people milled about the building, peering into the now cleaned up entrance halls through the enormous glass doors and windows. It was the new talk in town.It was the new twist in Jonghyun’s life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, so this is an old story of mine but one of my favourites. I had to do a lot of editing since it was so old and problematic. I hadn't yet learned how to write. I still haven't, but I'm a little better. The old version is still on AFF but it will be replaced with this one soon.
> 
> Also, this used to be a chaptered fic so I apologise if some transitions are weird.
> 
> As the tags mentioned, there are character deaths, though it is only minor side characters, and mentions of rape/non-con. Please take care of yourself and don't read if that is something that makes you uncomfortable.
> 
> Otherwise, I hope you like it!

“Aren’t you a little old to be going to the circus?”

Jonghyun peered over the edge of his couch, where he was lounging. The laptop perched on his stomach wobbled dangerously and he put a hand on it to keep it from falling. In the hallway stood his sister Sodam, looking down at a colorful ticket in her hand. Jonghyun had bought it earlier that day when he had taken a break from studying to go for a walk and get an ice cream. On his way back he had passed a booth from where a short, round, funny-looking man had called him over and convinced him to buy it. It was for the circus that had arrived a few days ago and taken up residence in the Dome; a theatre building standing proud on a cliff out in the water.

“Aren’t you a little rude entering without ringing the doorbell?” Jonghyun answered his sister, eyebrows raised. She grinned at him. “Besides, I heard the circus is an experience for everyone regardless of age. It’s magical apparently.”

Clearly skeptical, Sodam raised her eyebrows and he shrugged, his eyes moving back to his laptop. His last paper for the semester was waiting for its final sentences to be completed. He had been staring at it for half an hour but, still, nothing came to him.

“Also, I don’t really have anything better to do,” he said absentmindedly, erasing a word he thought wasn’t needed. “I’m free once I finish this and all my friends are out of town.”

“Anyway,” Sodam said and held up a plastic bag, shaking it a little, “mom told me to bring you a piece of her strawberry pie.”

Jonghyun perked up at once, eyes shining, and she laughed as she toed off her shoes. Depositing the laptop on the coffee table, he pushed off the couch and followed her into his tiny kitchen. He watched eagerly as she put a small, plastic box on the counter and opened it, letting the smell of freshly baked pie fill the room.

“Thank you! I love you noona!” Jonghyun said happily as he took out a fork and stuffed his face.

Sodam laughed again, though her nose was wrinkled.

“You know, mom was the one who made it.” She narrowed her eyes. “And I heard that you haven’t called her in a month. What’s with that?”

Jonghyun stopped chewing, lowering his fork.

“Shorry,” he said through a mouthful of pie. “Ah wash tho bushy wih shool.”

Looking mildly disgusted, Sodam grabbed her own fork.

“Swallow before you talk,” she admonished and took a piece of the pie.

Jonghyun pulled an ugly grimace at her, which earned him a smack to the head. Then Sodam sighed, took a last bite, and put her fork in the sink.

“I have to go, I just did mom the favour of coming out here to check up on you.” She made her way back to the hallway. “My boyfriend is taking me to dinner and I’m about to be late.”

Jonghyun waved his hand absentmindedly, still concentrating on the pie that was almost finished. She sighed again.

“Call mom, will you?” she called as she put on her shoes.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jonghyun mumbled around the last piece and threw a glance at the clock. “I’ll do it tomorrow, I need to leave for the circus in an hour.”

Sodam rolled her eyes and opened the door.

“You really should grow up a little.”

“Don’t wanna!” Jonghyun said defiantly and stuck out his tongue.

She laughed before waving and closing the door behind her. Jonghyun shovelled the last of the pie in his mouth and threw the used fork and plastic box in the sink. Then he heaved a sigh and trudged back to the living room where he sank down onto the couch again, finishing the last part of his essay. His chest felt a little lighter as he attached the final product of his arduous labour in a mail to his professor and pressed send. Closing his laptop with a resolute ‘click’, he stood and stretched before making his way to the bathroom for a well-needed shower.

Jonghyun was what one would consider a normal young man, whatever normal meant. He was in his second year of university, open program since he still couldn’t decide what he wanted to do in the future. He had enough friends to never feel lonely, had had two girlfriends during high school, and his family was made up of the standard dad-mom-daughter-son-format. When he was accepted to the university close by, he had moved to this small, seaside town where the air always carried the salt from the sea, where the waves crashing against the cliffs was the background music wherever you went, and the houses clung onto the cliffs and hills for dear life. After finding a small apartment in a tiny building at the center of town, he left his family home in the town just twenty minutes down the highway to begin his life as a student.

And he loved it. He loved the way the small seaside town was more like a big village where everyone at least recognised each other if they didn’t know one another. He loved the smell of the sea that would come in with the breeze as he opened his window and how it never really became cold, even in the winter. He loved that the main means of transport was by bicycle or tram and that you could tour the entire town by foot in about an hour and a half. All in all, it was Jonghyun’s haven.

Humming to himself, he smiled at his reflection as he fixed his hair in the mirror.

The most exciting part however, was that now a circus had mysteriously appeared in town. It looked more professional than any circus he had ever seen, but that might have been because this particular group wasn’t set up in a colourful tent out in some field with caravans upon caravans behind it. This group of people had bought the large, shiningly white theatre dome that was standing on the cliff furthest into the sea, only reachable by the bridge connecting it to the mainland. It was a modern building with glass walls surrounding the entrance hall, spanning the radius of a little over half of the bottom floor. Polished white stone covered the rest of the building, and everything stood proudly on a round plateau artificially created just for the Dome. It had been abandoned for years as no theatre group had had enough money to use it, and there weren’t that many that travelled through town anyway.

But now, every night, there were lights shining in the lampposts lining the bridge and the entrance halls were dimly lit, radiating a welcoming and warm glow. People had been talking about it for days and tonight was the premiere show for the circus company that no one had seen or heard arrive.

Jonghyun was excited to say the least, his limbs jittery as he exited his apartment complex. People were buzzing about the streets, some greeting him warmly and others sending him a small nod. An electric anticipation hung in the air, energy humming in the spaces between the bodies in the crowd. Though the small seaside town was happy the way it was, it couldn’t be denied that everyone was looking forward to seeing the mystery of the circus unfold. It was as if they all knew something amazing, if not magical, was going to happen tonight and many nights to come.

Lanterns lit up the bridge leading to the Dome, fighting the fading light as the evening sky rolled out, and Jonghyun’s breath came quicker as he crossed. Families and couples surrounded him, chattering away. He heard a few calls of his name but something had him unable to tear his eyes away from the Dome. A strange feeling of foreboding twisted his stomach and had his heart beating in his chest like the wings of a hummingbird. It was almost as if he were pulled towards to the Dome and he could only follow, helpless. When his senses came back to him he found himself in his seat high up above, looking down at the round stage in the middle. It was surrounded by platforms of seats, almost mimicking the cliffs outside, and the stage seemed to shine in the dim light. It looked small from where he sat but he didn’t mind.

It wasn’t long until the lights dimmed even further and the buzz of the audience died out. Everyone held their breath and turned their gaze to the stage in anticipation.

“Ladies and Gentlemen! Children and adults!” A deep voice boomed dramatically through the air in the now pitch-black dome. “We welcome you to the first ever show of Cirque Fantasia!”

And then the show began.

When the opening act had finished Jonghyun was already gaping, as were all the other people in the audience. A woman and a man had danced a breathtakingly beautiful routine. Their clothes had seemed to float as if they were made of air and the couple had moved with such grace that it had Jonghyun wondering if they were even human. Halfway into the performance he realised they were telling a story. And not just any story, but the story of how the night and stars and people came to life, how love and hatred so closely followed each other in a dance that had been going since the first human walked on earth.

And the storytelling continued after that.

The animal tamer came out on stage next and started his own dance with the animals. But he wasn’t making them do silly tricks, like one would expect of a circus. Instead he showed the audience their true nature. He danced between big cats and small bunnies, jumping over wolves and ducking under elephants. And, to everyone’s astonishment, the animals joined him. As if the animal trainer talked to them, sang to them, and had them follow him in a twisting, turning play. It took Jonghyun a moment to realise that this was the story of life, and how it lived on in every creature, taking on different shapes and sizes but still the same.

The stage fell dark again as the animals and man finished their show only to light up in all the colours of the rainbow, illuminating a set of trampolines in different sizes and heights. A group of girls with clothes matching the colourful lighting jumped cheerfully from one to the other, twisting and turning in impossible spirals. It had Jonghyun gripping his seat a few times, certain they would collide, but they never did. Instead they passed each other by just a hair’s width. The hairs on his arms rose as they jumped higher and higher, movements wilder, all while still keeping effortless and happy smiles. Watching them, his heart grew lighter and happiness bubbled inside him. As he glanced around he was sure everyone in the audience felt the same, because they were all moving to the upbeat music, wide smiles gracing their faces and eyes glued to the young women on the trampolines. And that’s when it hit Jonghyun. Their performance was supposed to tell the story of joy; the happiness of friends and fun.

Just as he realised it the lights changed and the trampolines were gone so fast Jonghyun was sure magic had been used. This time a man clad in black linen stood in the middle of the scene, illuminated only by the flames in his hand. Jonghyun’s eyes widened in horrified amazement, unable to understand how he could hold the fire with his bare hands so calmly. Then other fires began lighting up, scattered around the stage, all held by an equally calm man. Jonghyun’s jaw dropped as they entered what looked like a fight, the fire the only source of light in the otherwise dark space as it flew from one man to the other in an intense battle for dominance.

“Courage,” he heard someone whisper behind him.

He quickly glanced back at the person, not wanting to miss anything, and as he his gaze fell on the flying fire again, he knew they had been right. The story was about courage, about doing what you thought was impossible with confidence and challenging others to do it as well. It struck him that everyone watching understood the stories the circus wanted to tell, just as he could see each and every story unfold before his eyes. He fleetingly wondered how that was even possible but forgot about it as the men finished with their flames, sending off small fireworks that took on forms he had never seen before.

By now, Jonghyun was sitting on the edge of his seat, eager for the next performance to start. His eyes travelled along the empty stage and he frowned as nothing appeared. Then he gasped, along with the crowd, when a young boy sailed through the air so high up that Jonghyun could see him clearly. That was when he noticed the large amount of trapezes hanging from the ceiling in different heights and angles. Jonghyun swallowed nervously as he watched the brown haired, white clad boy gracefully jump from one stick to the other, smiling brightly and moving fluidly to the music playing. After a few seconds he was joined by a tall, dark haired man, also wearing white clothes, and they started a dance of meeting on one trapeze only to jump away to another, performing impossible tricks on their own and together, all in beat to the music. Jonghyun gripped his seat tightly, chewing on his lip but mesmerised by their performance all the same. He couldn’t help but be nervous, as he could see absolutely no safety net or line. It dawned on him that that was just the way it was supposed to be because these two young boys told the story of freedom, of touching the sky and playing on the wings of the wind. It made Jonghyun feel free as a bird himself and a stupid grin spread across his face, as it did on every person in the audience.

The boys finished their performance and everything went dark again. The audience mumbled quietly about the amazing performances they had seen so far, the anticipation for the next one heavy around them.

A soft melody filled the air and everyone hushed down, looking around excitedly for the next performer to take their breath away. There were a few confused words here and there as the music grew stronger and everything was still black. But they all waited patiently, hoping the reward would be as amazing as they expected.

The music turned quiet again until it eventually stopped, but Jonghyun’s already high anticipation rose. The blood rushed in his ears and his heart was beating as if it was in its last moments of being able to show what it was worth.

A whirring sound pierced through the air from above and they all looked up in surprise. The roof of the building was slowly opening to reveal the night sky and the moon right above their heads. A murmur went through the room and Jonghyun's stomach twisted.

Then he saw it. And the rest of the audience must have too because a collective gasp went through the building.

Two small platforms had risen up above their heads, even above the opening, and there was a thin wire leading from one to the other. A murmur went through the audience once again as they all looked up at a figure standing on one of the platforms. Even though Jonghyun was sitting quite high he had to squint for a moment to see the person better. Another murmur of wonder passed through the dome and some even stood up to take a closer look.

It was a young man. A strange, slender and, even standing still, graceful young man. But it wasn’t this pale, porcelain-white skin that made him strange or that he had to be the most beautiful person the world had ever seen, with his blonde hair and red lips. No, the strangest thing about him was that he was glowing softly. It was as if the moonlight reflected off his skin and made him shine as he moved forward to start his performance, having as little safety as the pair before him had had. As he started moving the same soft melody from before began to play. Still, Jonghyun could practically hear everyone hold their breaths as the young man danced. His movements were so smooth and fluid he looked like a celestial being descended to earth.

Jonghyun was even more mesmerised than he had been before. The line dancer seemed to be defying gravity every time he made a jump and he moved with such graceful fierceness it took his breath away. Seemingly unaware of the world below, he continued to dance and jump, getting wilder and wilder until Jonghyun was sure he was going to fall. Just as he thought that the moment finally came the young man made a final leap and landed safely on the platform he had started on.

It took a moment for the them all to wake up from the trance they had been put in by the line dancer, but when they did the applause was so loud it physically hurt Jonghyun’s ears. It didn’t matter. Jonghyun was rooted to his seat in a daze, barely registering what was going on around him. He couldn’t move even if he wanted to and as he watched the young man climb down again a weird lump of mixed emotions gathered in his throat. The line dancer had just told him, and everyone else, the story of the moon and all the galaxies beyond, the places no one has ever seen and the untouched beauty of them.

When it was all over, he had to take a moment to just sit and calm his galloping heart. He didn’t even notice as the audience started to thin out around him.

That night Jonghyun couldn’t sleep. He kept tossing and turning, trying to ignore the strange pull in his chest as image upon image of the performances replayed behind his eyelids. What preoccupied his thoughts most, however, was the line dancer. His expression had been so serene yet fiery and a desire to meet him, or just even seeing him perform again, welled up inside Jonghyun. Never before had anyone had such an impact on him and, quite frankly, Jonghyun was scared stiff with what not only the line dancer, but the entire circus had done to him. It was as if he had taken a shot of a very potent drug and now he couldn’t stop thinking about it, craving another shot. Something about them had spoken to him in a weird way, had invaded his mind with small whispers of needing him. He hoped that he was the only one who felt that way, because if the entire audience was in the same state as him, this town was sure to be doomed.

He finally fell asleep around eight in the morning but his mind wouldn’t let him rest. It continued to bombard him with images of mostly the line dancer, but also of all the other performers, urging him to return.

And so, he did.

He dragged himself up in the early evening, trying to ignore the feeling of needing to go back to the circus while making some food for himself. When the begging in his mind grew too unbearable he gave in with a grumble and put on some decent clothes before heading out. Maybe he could trick himself into thinking he would return to the Dome if he just took a walk. If nothing else, he could at least try to clear his mind from the muddled state Cirque Fantasia had put it in.

He walked aimlessly through town – or he tried to, but he knew his feet were subconsciously taking him towards the shore and the bridge leading to the Dome. He managed to distract himself somewhat by stopping and talking to a few people he knew, but all too soon he found himself at the beginning of the road to what was now the home of Cirque Fantasia.

After a moment of hesitation, he slowly stepped onto the bridge, steps halting and unsure as he crossed. He was unsure if he was allowed to be there when there wasn’t a show on for the night. But there was no one around and nothing stopping him, so he squared his shoulders and picked up his pace. The pull was still present in his chest, almost dragging him to stand in front of the glass doors. He peered into the dark entrance hall, squinting to see better. The waves crashed against the cliff and the seagulls circling above the water, looking for fish, gave shrill laughs. He watched the hair in his reflection get ruffled by the wind and met his own wide eyes, raising his eyebrows at himself.

“Well, this is productive,” he mumbled and looked to the side, a small smile pulling at his lips as his eyes fell upon the light of the setting sun playing on the waves. Since he was already this far out, he decided to make his way around back to see the sun properly and enjoy the last warm rays before the horizon tucked it away. It was a calming place and he wanted to stay for a little while.

He cautiously made his way around, glancing over his shoulder a few times to be sure no one would come and chase him away. When he reached the back where the sun was shining full on he stopped dead in his tracks. A silhouette of a young man stood on top of the railing, looking out over the waves. Jonghyun’s heart jumped into his throat and he broke into a cold sweat broke as he recognised the line dancer. Just as he did, it also dawned on him that the line dancer looked as if he were about to jump into the unforgiving sea. His body was bent way too far out to not tempt fate.

“Don’t do it!” Jonghyun yelled in panic before he could stop himself. He was not about to watch someone jump to their death, especially not the beautiful line dancer.

It might have been a stupid thing to do because the young man flinched but, strangely and to Jonghyun's great relief, didn’t lose his balance. Instead he easily turned on the thin railing to look at him with big, round eyes.

“Don’t do what?” he asked, a confused frown forming on his forehead.

Jonghyun blinked a few times, trying to gather his thoughts. The line dancer was so much prettier up close.

“Weren’t– weren’t you about to jump?” he asked sheepishly.

The line dancer eyed him incredulously for a moment before he burst out in laughter, clutching his stomach, looking thoroughly amused. Again, Jonghyun worried that he would fall, but he looked as steady as if he were standing on solid ground.

“No, I was just watching the sunset on the waves,” he explained with a warm smile. “But thanks for worrying.”

“Oh… yeah...”

Blushing, Jonghyun scratched his neck and looked away. The line dancer jumped down from the railing with unearthly grace and walked up to him, studying him curiously with an amused glint to his eyes. Jonghyun found it harder to breathe the closer he came and his brain was wiped clean of any rational thought. He could see every perfection and imperfection on his face. His amber eyes were lined with long, black eyelashes, there was a scar in his left eyebrow, and a lovely rosy tint, likely caused by the sun, coloured his cheeks.

“I–I…” Jonghyun stammered and cleared his throat. “I saw your performance yesterday.”

The line dancer’s smile grew, his eyes sparkling prettily and his cheeks dimpling.

“You did?”

“Y-yeah.” Jonghyun nodded, unable to do much else besides stare at the young man dumbly and attempt to form coherent sentences. “You were amazing. You jumped around so high above the ground. It was so graceful.” He wished he could stop talking, but his mouth refused to obey and went on blabbering without bothering to filter anything. “Yeah, so amazing and beautiful. You’re beautiful.”

The line dancer burst out in hearty laughter again as Jonghyun’s voice died out and his cheeks reddened. Had he just said that?

“U-um, I’m gonna go… die in a hole somewhere. Yeah…”

He turned away, cheeks burning. He only managed to take one step before cool, slender fingers closed around his wrist and pulled him back. Heart in his throat, he spun back around, wide-eyed, to the still giggling line dancer. Jonghyun gawked at him and he graced him with a wide, toothy smile.

“I’m Kibum,” he said. “Though, most people know me by my stage name Key.”

Jonghyun couldn’t stop staring at him, mouth ajar. Tilting his head, Kibum looked at him expectantly, expression still highly amused. Jonghyun couldn’t quite figure out what it was he wanted. Thankfully, Kibum decided to help his empty brain.

“And you are…?”

“O-oh, um…” For a moment, he completely blanked out on his own name. He cleared his throat. “Uh… Jonghyun.”

Embarrassment like nothing before washed over him and he wished the ground would open and swallow him. Kibum just continued to smile at him, looking endeared, which was more than he could hope for. He opened his mouth to say something else when a small tingling sound cut him off. Jonghyun couldn’t place where it came from but Kibum glanced over his shoulder, back to the Dome.

“It was nice meeting you, Jonghyun,” he said, squeezing his wrist lightly before letting go. There was a disappointed pull at his lips and the same feeling filled Jonghyun. Then hope sparkled in Kibum’s eyes. “I have to go back now but… see you around?”

“Definitely.”

His face burned yet again, but Kibum only let out a small, tinkling laugh and waved before he gracefully sprinted back to the building. Jonghyun watched him go, jolting a little as Kibum turned around right before opening the door to give him a last smile and wave. He returned the the wave sheepishly and Kibum was gone.

Jonghyun might or might not just have gotten a part of his heart stolen by a beautiful, blonde line dancer called Kibum.

Jonghyun twirled a pen between his fingers, staring absentmindedly at the fishhooks hanging on the wall opposite him. His other hand supported his chin, his elbow on the counter, fingers tapping against his cheek.

It was a slow day at the fishing and boat equipment store. As it was located in a small seaside town one might expect it to have many customers, however, it had never been more than three people in the store at the same time ever since he started working there one year ago. It had its regulars, but most of the time Jonghyun was left staring at the fishhooks, which he could describe in detail in his sleep by now.

But today was different.

Today he wasn’t examining the fishhooks like he usually did. Today he didn’t adjust and readjust all the things in the store every two hours. Because today his mind kept the conversation he had had with Kibum, the beautiful line dancer, on replay in his head. It had his lips pulled up in a small smile and made his usually boring working hours bearable.

It had been three days since he had taken his evening stroll and found Kibum on the railing. Three days of the memory of him filling his mind at all hours of the day. Jonghyun itched to go back, to meet Kibum again, hear him talk and laugh and see him smile.

It just had to be his luck that his boss decided to entrust him with keeping an eye on the shop while he went out of town for business. It meant early mornings and late evenings for Jonghyun, even if the customers were few, and no time for much else. His boss was very strict about keeping the tradition his father and grandfather had had, which was having the store open as many hours as possible for any sailor in need. It was also just his luck that he was the only employee and therefore could not shirk the responsibility and put it on someone else.

What’s more, the pull to the Dome was still as strong as it had been three days ago. Jonghyun didn’t know what it was, but he just couldn’t let go of Cirque Fantasia. He wondered briefly, and with slight annoyance, if this was what an obsession felt like. Jonghyun, who had never felt an addiction to anything, was now obsessed with a circus of all things. And that obsession had only intensified after his encounter with Kibum.

He sighed at the thought of Kibum. It felt like he was standing him up by not finding the time to return when Kibum had looked so hopeful. When he himself wanted nothing more than to go back.

Frustrated, he scrunched up his face and put the pen down. Straightening up, he glanced out the windows and noticed that the sun had begun sinking towards the horizon, casting an orange glow over the town. Maybe he could alter the working hours just the tiniest bit so that he would make it to the Dome in time for the last minutes of the sunset. Jonghyun hoped Kibum would be out to watch it. There was something about Kibum that was just so… captivating. Jonghyun had been extremely lucky to happen upon him the other night and he could only hope he would be that lucky again.

“Yeah. Let’s do it,” Jonghyun encouraged himself.

Just as he made his way to the door to turn the open sign to ‘closed’, it opened and his boss stepped inside. Jonghyun stilled for a moment, surprised. His boss wasn’t supposed to be back for another two days. Then a grin took over his face and he swiftly backtracked to grab his jacket from behind the counter.

“Oh, Jonghyun,” his boss said as he shrugged it on. “I see you’ve taken good care of the shop.”

“Yep, I have!” Jonghyun chirped, starting toward the door again. “And you know what would be a great idea? Giving me a reward for my hard work!”

His boss blinked at him blankly as he passed.

“So, I’ll leave everything in your capable hands for now, captain!” Jonghyun opened the door and put two fingers to his forehead in a salute, sending him a last squinty-eyed grin. “See ya tomorrow, boss!”

He sprinted down the road to the harbour, not looking back even when his boss called his name in bewilderment. The man was nice, almost like an uncle to Jonghyun, but he could be quite forceful when he wanted to be. Jonghyun needed to leave as fast as he could before he got roped into something else. He couldn’t risk being held back.

He stopped just in front of the bridge to calm his breathing and heartbeat. It didn’t quite work as they acted up for completely different reasons now other than exersie. He took two small quick steps onto the bridge, once again feeling like a trespasser. Still, just like last time, there was no one to be seen. This time, however, a nagging feeling of being watched pricked at Jonghyun’s skin. He looked up at the Dome as he approached, but he could not see anyone in the windows. Shaking himself to get rid of the feeling, he quickly made his way around the building.

Again, like the last time, he could see the silhouette of a young man standing on top of the thin railing, gazing off into the distance. A smile grew on his face and he stopped to observe Kibum for a while, mesmerised. A warm breeze gently ruffled his hair and it looked as if it was aglow in the setting sun, painting it a pinkish-red colour. He was wearing a big, white t-shirt with a black print of a cloud that was starting to slip off of his left shoulder; grey, baggy sweatpants pooled around his feet, and he was barefoot. As he watched, Kibum grabbed the pants mid-thigh and pulled them up so he could take a few graceful, unhesitant steps on the railing, his back still turned towards Jonghyun.

“You know, one day you’re going to fall,” Jonghyun said before he could stop himself.

Kibum spun around, eyes wide. He glanced around warily before his eyes fell on Jonghyun and his face lit up in a gorgeous smile.

“Jonghyun.”

“Hi.”

Jonghyun waved awkwardly as he approached the railing and Kibum slid down to sit on it instead when he reached him, both of them facing the water, Kibum’s legs dangling over the cliff. Jonghyun leaned his forearms against the railing, close enough to feel Kibum’s body heat.

“I waited for you,” Kibum said softly after a moment.

“I’m sorry,” Jonghyun apologised sheepishly. “My boss had to leave town for a few days and I had to manage the shop on my own.”

Kibum turned his head to smile at him and Jonghyun’s stomach made a weird flop.

“It’s okay, I had a show yesterday anyway.”

Jonghyun smiled back.

“I wish I could have seen it again.”

Kibum hummed and they both looked out at the waves again.

“So,” Jonghyun said after a while of comfortable silence as they watched the sun sink into the sea. He looked up at Kibum. “How was your day?”

Internally he groaned at himself. There were so many more interesting questions he could have asked and he decided on that? It wasn’t that he didn’t want to know, he just could have maybe not been so basic. He wanted Kibum to remember him.

Kibum chuckled a little, as if he could hear his inner thoughts, and his eyes glittered in the sunlight. For a moment Jonghyun forgot about his embarrassment as he stared at him, heart palpitating.

“It was good. I had practice the entire day. Nothing exciting,” Kibum answered, casting him a quick glance and biting his lip. “Until you arrived, that is.”

Face heating up, Jonghyun cleared his throat. He tried and failed miserably to keep a goofy grin from spreading on his face and his insides filled with butterflies.

“Same,” he mumbled and Kibum laughed lightly. “You don’t have a show tonight?”

Kibum shook his head.

“We only have a show every third night to get some rest or practice.”

A crazy – or brilliant, depends on how you look at it – idea came to Jonghyun and he straightened.

“Then, my fine gentleman, would you like to go on an evening stroll around town with me?” he asked. He would have been more embarrassed by his theatrics if it hadn’t put a tint in Kibum’s cheeks and a small, shy smile on his lips.

“I would love to,” Kibum murmured. He bit his lip and looked down at himself, frowning.

“What is it?” Jonghyun asked.

Kibum looked back up at him, still chewing on his lip.

“I just… need to change clothes.”

He gracefully swung his legs over the railing so that he was now sitting with his back against the sea. Jonghyun thought he saw him cast a nervous glance towards the Dome, but it was so quick it might have been his imagination. He held out his hand as Kibum made to jump down and Kibum looked at him in confused surprise for a moment before his face lit up with a gentle smile. He slid his soft, pale hand into Jonghyun’s and let him help him down. They stood close together for a few seconds, staring at each other, cheeks rosy. Kibum was a little taller than him and he noticed a small freckle underneath his left eye. Then Kibum took a small step back, putting some space between them.

“I think it would be better if you waited at the end of the bridge, if that’s okay?” he said, voice uncertain.

Frowning a little, Jonghyun nodded. Kibum smiled at him again and made his way to the doors.

“See you soon!” he called and quickly slipped inside.

Jonghyun slowly made his way around the Dome again and towards the bridge. Kibum seemed a little skittish at the prospect of leaving and he had a feeling it didn’t have anything to do with their date.

Date.

The goofy smile was back on his face and Jonghyun completely lost track of his thoughts. He walked across the bridge on light feet. He had a date with Kibum, the beautiful, intriguing line dancer. He wanted to tell everyone he knew about this extremely important piece of information. They all deserved to know and marvel over it. He bit his lip to keep his giddy smile down and leaned against the lamppost at the end of the bridge, watching people pass him by, greeting them absentmindedly.

It didn’t take long for Kibum to get done and soon they were strolling along the streets, looking into windows of different shops. Jonghyun told him about where the coffee was good and pastries tasty and where to get the best pizza, where the best bookshop was and where the nicest fruit market lay. He stumbled over his words in the beginning, but the more time he spent beside Kibum the easier it became talking to him. Besides, Kibum seemed endeared by his fumbling so he didn’t beat himself up about it too much.

People greeted Jonghyun cheerily everywhere they went and gave Kibum curious, but friendly looks and smiles. Kibum returned it with a shy and curious smile of his own and Jonghyun took it upon himself to introduce him to the best people he knew, his group of friends from university.

They found them at the café they frequented and soon they were a group of people walking around, everyone chatting excitedly with Kibum about where he should go and things he should do and see while endlessly complimenting him on his performance and looks. After a while of strolling around, Jonghyun shooed them away and dragged Kibum over to buy him dinner at his favourite restaurant. He rolled his eyes at the smirks and wolf whistles that followed them and Kibum laughed.

Though neither of them had specified what this entire thing was supposed to be, Jonghyun treated it like a date. It didn’t seem like Kibum minded because there was a tint in his cheeks and a sparkle to his eyes, and he smiled happily throughout the entirety of the evening. He even grabbed Jonghyun’s hand tentatively when they made their way back to the Dome after dinner. Surprised, Jonghyun’s head snapped up to look at him and a small blush spread on Kibum’s cheeks. A slow smile spread on Jonghyun’s lips and he laced their fingers together. Kibum bit his lip through his grin, swinging their hands back and forth gently.

“Do you know everyone here?” Kibum asked as the beginning of the bridge came into view. They had walked in silence for a while, enjoying each other’s presence.

Jonghyun hummed.

“This town is small enough for everyone to know everyone.”

They stopped just at the beginning of the bridge and turned to look at each other. Jonghyun knew it was time to let Kibum go back since it was midnight by now, yet there was still so much he wanted to know about him. He had shown Kibum nearly every part of his life in town but Kibum had been a little hesitant to reveal much about himself other than that he had travelled to a lot of places and didn’t even know where his hometown was. However, Jonghyun was hopeful he would someday get to know more.

“I had a really nice time tonight,” Kibum said quietly, cheeks pink as he looked at his feet.

Jonghyun gently pulled on their still linked hands and he looked up at him again.

“Me too,” Jonghyun murmured.

A brilliant smile spread on Kibum’s lips. They grinned at each other for a few short moments before Kibum looked away again, shifting from one foot to the other and worrying his bottom lip.

“Um, tomorrow I’m going to practice the entire day again but… if you want to watch...?” his voice died out and the question hung unfinished in the air.

It took Jonghyun a moment to realise what he meant and his heart skipped a few beats.

“That would be awesome!” he nearly shouted.

Kibum jumped a little at his loud outburst and started laughing. Jonghyun cringed and cleared his throat, rubbing his neck.

“I-I mean… yeah. I would like that. Very much,” he said sheepishly, face burning.

“Then, tomorrow afternoon?” Kibum asked, the excitement in his voice matching the one in Jonghyun’s stomach.

Jonghyun nodded eagerly.

“Sure! My boss won’t mind!”

Kibum smiled.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“You sure will!”

Jonghyun begged the earth to open and take him. Kibum laughed and reluctantly untangled their hands, hold lingering.

“Good night, Jonghyun,” he said, voice soft, as he took a step backwards onto the bridge.

“Good night,” Jonghyun replied, voice equally soft. “Sleep well.”

Kibum nodded and took another step back before he stopped in his tracks. He cast a glance over his shoulder at the Dome and looked back at Jonghyun, eyes searching his face.

“What is it?”

Jonghyun barely finished the sentence before Kibum had quickly retraced his steps and stopped right in front of him. Jonghyun’s heart leapt up his throat as Kibum leaned and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

“Good night,” he whispered in his ear.

Jonghyun caught a glimpse of shining red cheeks when Kibum backed away and turned around. Before he could say anything, Kibum sprinted towards the entrance, leaving him to stare after him in a daze, the spot where he had been kissed warm.

Yawning, Jonghyun leaned back against the life vests hanging behind him and sank lower on the stool in front of the register, trying to get somewhat comfortable. He had been too excited to sleep after his date with Kibum; his limbs too jittery, his heart fluttering, and his cheeks aching from smiling so much. He couldn’t stop thinking about tinkling laughter or the small dimple that would accompany every smile or the feel of a soft hand intertwined with his own.

A grin spread on his face as he looked down at his fingers. The best part if his memory, however, was the small kiss to his cheek. The soft push of Kibum’s lips and the scent of his detergent and something so uniquely Kibum were still prevalent in his mind.

He sighed and closed his eyes, a lovely warmth filling him.

Someone cleared their throat and Jonghyun’s heart jumped. He hadn’t heard anyone come in. He wiped the grin off his face, his eyes snapping open to greet the customer. His gaze fell upon a boy, forearms on the counter and head tilted as he studied him, eyes curious. Behind him was another, taller boy, looking around the shop with great interest.

“Hello?” Jonghyun greeted and stood to properly take his place behind the register. These boys didn’t look like they knew what a sail even was, so he couldn’t quite figure out what they wanted, like he might have done with other customers. “How can I help you?”

The boy at the counter shot a secretive smile at him. There was something familiar about him that Jonghyun couldn’t put his finger on. He didn’t have much time to dwell on it as the boy reached up and grabbed his chin, turning his face this way and that as he inspected it closely.

“H-hey!” Jonghyun spluttered, trying to free himself with little luck. The boy was strong. “What are you doing?!”

Completely ignoring him, he let go of Jonghyun’s face and turned to the other, taller boy.

“It’s him.”

The two of them looked back at him, wearing matching smirks which had something crawling in Jonghyun’s stomach.

“What do you mean ‘it’s him’?” Jonghyun asked nervously. “I don’t know you guys. Are you part of the mafia or something? I swear I’m not the person you’re looking for! Please don’t take me to your boss or kill me!” He sounded more and more panicked as his imagination ran wild, voice going shrill. The other two stared at him and he continued rambling. “Please! I still have so much to do! I haven’t finished uni, my parents are waiting for me to return home, I want to kiss Kibum, I–!”

The door opened and his boss entered, interrupting his tirade. The old man appraised the two customers inquisitively and turned to a wide-eyed Jonghyun.

“I finished my lunch so you can go to your appointment now,” he said, way too calm for the tumult inside Jonghyun’s head. “I’ll handle the shop.”

Jonghyun nodded, eager to get out of there and leave the threatening customers. He threw a worried glance at the two silent boys and wondered if they would go to the lengths to stalk him. Maybe he could lose them somehow, if he was quick.

Just as he reached for his jacket, the shorter boy spoke again.

“This is actually perfect timing.”

The two of them proceeded to gracefully jump over the counter, giving both Jonghyun and his boss heart attacks. They grabbed one of Jonghyun’s arms each and marched him past his astonished boss and out of the shop. Jonghyun protested, trying to twist his arms out of their holds, but the hands that held him were impossibly strong. He gave up when his breath ran out and his upper arms stung with the struggle. Instead he settled for bombarding them with questions in hopes it would annoy them enough to let him go. He couldn’t be worth all that much trouble, right?

Soon it became clear they were headed for the harbour and they took the exact same road he had flown down the day before. The boys didn’t bother answering him however much he tried and Jonghyun soon gave up annoying them as well.

They continued dragging him through town, the three of them getting curious glances from the people they passed. Jonghyun spotted a few of his friends, but they simply shrugged at him or gave cheerful waves when he caught their eyes and mouthed for help. He glared back at them. What good friends he had. He would remember that when he came back to haunt the streets.

“Oh my God! Are you going to shoot me in the head and throw me into the water?” Jonghyun gasped in horror when the boats and the Dome came into view. He was sure he had seen something like this in a thriller before. “What did I ever do to you?! I should have the right to know!”

The tall boy heaved a loud sigh while the other boy frowned, looking confused.

“I don’t wanna die!” Jonghyun yelled at them.

“Will you shut up?”

Jonghyun’s breath caught in his throat as the tall boy spoke for the first time, his deep voice growling in his ear.

“You’re not going to die and I have heard enough of your voice to last me for a year,” he muttered.

“So why do you have to manhandle me?!” Jonghyun exclaimed but received no answer. He suddenly realised they were halfway down the bridge leading to the Dome. “Oh…”

“Oh,” his two captors echoed, both sounding amused.

“You know this would have gone much smoother if you’d just told me where we were going from the beginning,” Jonghyun muttered.

They let go of him to open the entrance door and a thought hit him. He stopped right outside the open doors.

“Wait, are you dragging me here to sue me? Because I was trespassing before?”

The two boys turned to look at him, both unimpressed. Jonghyun cleared his throat, his face heating.

“No?” he asked weakly.

“Jonghyun!”

The boys turned around and Jonghyun spotted Kibum hurrying towards them over their shoulders, his blond hair messy. All he managed to register was that he was wearing the same baggy clothes he had the night prior before Kibum crashed into him, arms tight around his neck. Jonghyun staggered a few step back from the impact and the boys snickered.

“H-hi Kibum,” he stammered, hesitantly hugging him back.

Kibum laughed softly, his breath ghosting over Jonghyun’s ear and sending pleasant currents down his spine. After hugging him closer for a second, he let go of Jonghyun to turn to the other two, hands on his hips.

“I don’t remember giving you two permission to go terrorise him.”

They shrugged simultaneously.

“We were free,” the tall boy said.

“And bored,” the other boy added.

Kibum shook his head and turned back towards Jonghyun to grab his hand.

“Anyway, I’m happy you’re here. Come in.”

‘I’m happy you’re here’ replayed in Jonghyun’s mind as he let himself be dragged over the threshold and into the empty entrance hall, sending his heart into a frenzy and putting a grin on his lips. It didn’t go unnoticed, if the snickers from the boys were anything to go by, and he shook himself out of it.

The air inside the Dome was different than the last time he had been there. It was eerily quiet, and the sound of the door closing echoed in the wide, empty space. The interior was as white as the outside and seemed to shine in the sunlight that filtered in through the tall windows, warming the room.

“I guess I’ll introduce you,” Kibum said into the quiet air.

Jonghyun looked at the two boys, who were back to examining him, heads tilted in a matching poses.

“This is Taemin.” Kibum pointed to the shorter boy, who gave a small smile at the mention of his name. He moved his finger to point at the tall boy. “And that’s Minho. Their stage name is The Winged Brothers.”

Jonghyun’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped when he realised who they were.

“You’re the guys who performed on the trapezes!” he exclaimed, his voice bouncing off the walls. “That was awesome! You’re really good!”

They smiled at him, clearly amusement, and said at the same time:

“Thanks. We know.”

Kibum chuckled.

“Right. And this is–”

“Jonghyun,” Taemin finished for him.

“We know that, too,” Minho added.

Kibum narrowed his eyes at them, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“You’re right. I forget who you are.”

Jonghyun glanced between them in confusion, not quite following. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Uh, well… It’s nice to meet you two.”

Kibum gave him an encouraging smile and squeezed his hand.

“So now that’s done with, let’s go! I need to get back to practice and these boys need to eat.”

Jonghyun was unceremoniously dragged away from the two snickering boys waving at him, and down a long corridor with doors upon doors in the walls. Curious, he looked around, catching glimpses of names he couldn’t place. He had never been backstage anywhere and it felt a little forbidden and exciting.

“All these doors lead to dressing rooms and practice rooms,” Kibum informed him as they moved further down the corridor, turning left at the end into another. “Mine’s at the end.”

“Oh, cool,” Jonghyun offered. It struck him he had never seen Kibum outside the Dome except for their date. “Do you live here too?”

They stopped outside a door where a sign read ‘Kibum/Key’ and ‘practice’. Kibum turned to him with a small, shy smile.

“Yeah,” he answered. “Everyone has their own room on the third or fourth floor. If you sat high up in the audience you might have seen the entrance to the dorms.”

Jonghyun nodded, faintly recalling a door with the sign ‘personnel only’. He watched Kibum as he stared at his door, biting his lip. He took a breath and placed a hand on the handle, his other still keeping a tight grip on Jonghyun’s. Jonghyun wondered why he was hesitating. As if he had heard his thoughts, Kibum spoke.

“I…” he started and stopped. “I usually never let anyone watch me practice. It’s a bit… personal.” He threw a quick glance at Jonghyun and looked down at his feet, his cheeks dusting a nice shade of pink. “But... you’re special.”

His voice grew softer with each word but Jonghyun still heard them all. A giddy grin took over his face and he grew warm and tingly all over.

“Really?” he asked, his voice a low murmur to match Kibum’s tone.

Kibum’s blush spread to the tips of his ears and he nodded before pushing the door open and stepping inside, pulling a euphoric Jonghyun with him. They entered a large room with a high ceiling, empty except for two platforms fixed high up onto opposing walls, connected by a wire. Both had metal ladders leading up to them, and there was a stereo underneath the right one, four speakers fixed to one corner of the room each. Safety nets or lines where nowhere to be seen, Jonghyun noted. He spotted a fluffy pillow on the floor, but that wouldn’t help much if Kibum fell.

“You can sit there.” Kibum gestured to the pillow Jonghyun was staring at.

Jonghyun’s eyes snapped up to him, worry coiling in his stomach.

“Huh?” he sputtered. Kibum raised his eyebrows and Jonghyun swallowed. “But... but what happens if you fall?”

Kibum laughed, looking as amused as he had the time Jonghyun tried to stop him from jumping.

“I never fall,” he giggled. “But thank you for worrying.”

He leaned in and placed a quick kiss to Jonghyun’s cheek before scurrying off to the stereo, his face shining pink but a silly smile stretching his lips. Jonghyun stared after him, fingertips touching the skin, which was tingling after the contact, and another giddy grin lit up his face, butterflies waking up inside him. He floated over to the cushion and sat down. Kibum glanced at him over his shoulder, smile widening. Jonghyun’s stomach flipped as he watched him climb up the ladder to one of the platforms with practiced ease. Once at the top, he pressed a button on a small, black remote Jonghyun hadn’t noticed him holding and took a few, confident steps onto the wire after putting it down on the platform. He stopped in the middle waiting for the music to start, sending a shy eye cast down at Jonghyun. Jonghyun returned it with a wide, encouraging smile.

Then the music started and, once again, Jonghyun had a part of his heart, along with his breath, stolen by the beautiful line dancer named Kibum.

Elbow on the table, Jonghyun rested his chin in his hand as he watched Minho and Taemin go over a plan of their performance. A blueprint had been laid out on the table, showing all trapezes and their positions. It was covered in lines and arrows the two of them had drawn in an attempt to create a routine they both liked. Jonghyun watched dully, the terms they used unfamiliar and weird. When the mess of the arrows and notes on the blueprint became too much to handle, he let out a quiet sigh and looked out the window at the darkening sky.

Kibum had needed to go and do something, which was why he was now sitting with Minho and Taemin, trying to tune out their bickering. A few hours into Kibum’s practice, the same distant tingling sound Jonghyun had heard the first time he met Kibum sounded again. Kibum’s routine had come to an abrupt stop and he had glanced at the door nervously. He swiftly balanced over to the closest platform and slid down the ladder to pull Jonghyun out of the practice room. He had led him back down the corridors, across the entrance hall, and to a large dining area, where he had sat him down at Minho and Taemin’s table. After an apologetic smile and a wave, he had sprinted back out.

Jonghyun frowned. Something suspicious was going on, which as of now left him with two questions.

One; what was that tingling sound? The two times he had heard it, it seemed as if it was a summon for Kibum to do something or another. Something he didn’t particularly enjoy, judging by how his eyes lost their sparkle and how his smiles turned forced.

This led to his second question; what exactly did Kibum have to do?

He sincerely hoped he wasn’t some sort of modern Cinderella, doomed to forever slave away under the commands of an evil stepparent and their children.

“Hey guys, what’s up?” a gentle voice interrupted his musings and he looked up at a man. He had light brown hair, which fell into a friendly face adorned by a wide smile.

He was holding a tray of food, nothing special, and looked quite plain, but suddenly an inexplicable wave of calm washed over Jonghyun. The man seemed faintly familiar, which could only mean he was a performer as well.

“Nothing much,” Minho replied without looking up from his and Taemin’s notes.

“Going over our performance and babysitting Kibum’s boyfriend,” Taemin waved absentmindedly in Jonghyun’s direction, not looking up either.

“Babysitting?” Jonghyun said indignantly before the rest registered and he spluttered: “B-boyfriend?!”

The new guy laughed and sat down beside Taemin, opposite Jonghyun

“I think the correct term would be keeping company, wouldn’t it?” he said and smiled good-naturedly at Jonghyun. He reached a hand over the table. “Hello, I’m Jinki, otherwise known as Onew.”

Jonghyun took his hand and offered a smile back.

“I’m Jonghyun,” he said and Jinki looked at him curiously.

“So, you’re Kibum’s boyfriend?” he asked and Jonghyun’s face burned.

He wasn’t sure what they were exactly. They hadn’t said anything about it. Sure, they had been on a maybe-date and Kibum had kissed his cheek twice, but other than that he had no idea. He swallowed and his mouth opened and closed a few times, unsure of what to say.

“I–,” his voice cracked and he cleared his throat. “Well, I’d like to be.”

He scowled at Minho and Taemin, who snickered. Jinki threw them a glance, amused.

“That’s nice,” Jinki said mildly and took a bite of his food.

“Are you a performer?” Jonghyun inquired curiously.

Jinki beamed at him.

“Yeah, I am actually.”

“It’s an amazing feat, really,” Taemin interjected, tapping his chin with a red pen thoughtfully before determinedly drawing an arrow from one trapeze to the other. He scribbled something down along it.

“Judging by his two left feet off stage,” Minho supplied without missing a beat, frowning at Taemin’s addition.

Jinki shot them both a fake glare, but otherwise ignored them.

“I’m the animal handler.”

Jonghyun gawked at him and eagerly leaned forward.

“So, you’re like an animal whisperer?”

There was a beat of silence in which they all looked at him blankly. Then they burst out laughing as if he had told them the funniest joke they had ever heard and Jonghyun blushed, feeling silly. But there really wasn’t any other way he could have described what he had seen Jinki do during his performance. If his memory served him right, it had been as if he truly had talked to the animals.

“Sure he is!” Minho chortled and turned back to the plan in front of him, drawing a blue line in the opposite direction of Taemin’s red one.

“The best!” Taemin huffed out through laughs as he added stars to where each of their lines separated.

Jinki nudged him in the ribs with his elbow and sent Minho a twinkling eye cast, biting his lip to stop himself from laughing.

“You’ve seen the show?” he asked as he turned his attention back to Jonghyun, who was feeling sillier by the minute and couldn’t understand why they were laughing so much.

“Yeah,” he said, ignoring his embarrassment for a moment. “I don’t understand how you all managed to do that. It was amazing! Like magic!”

The other three chuckled again, giving each other mischievously secretive looks.

“Well, yeah,” Jinki said. “We have our ways.”

Jonghyun glanced between them curiously, sensing something, an underlying meaning, in his words. He was about to ask when Kibum reappeared out of nowhere and plopped down in the seat beside him, a little ruffled and breathless, as if he had been running. The grin spreading across Jonghyun’s face was inevitable and he received a dimpled smile back. For a moment he forgot about the others around the table as he and Kibum locked eyes.

“They haven’t put any stupid ideas in your head, have they?” Kibum asked, looking away to scrutinise the other three.

He discreetly intertwined his fingers with Jonghyun’s under the table and Jonghyun could only smile stupidly. He caught the pink colour rising to Kibum’s cheeks, silly smile on his face too, as he turned to look at the other three.

“We are offended!” Minho and Taemin said in unison, looking up from their blueprint again to feign affronted expressions.

Jinki chuckled and Kibum narrowed his eyes at them playfully. They answered with sweet smiles.

“We were just asking if he had seen the show,” Jinki explained.

Kibum beamed.

“He saw the very first one,” he told him and glanced out the windows. He turned to Jonghyun with an excited glint in his eyes. “Do you still have time?”

Jonghyun tried to answer but couldn’t quite find the words, distracted by Kibum’s eagerness and how it made his eyes twinkle. Instead he managed a nod, willfully ignoring the muffled snickers behind him.

“Great!” Kibum stood and pulled Jonghyun up by their connected hands. “I want to show you something!”

“O-okay,” Jonghyun said and Kibum squeezed his hand.

“I think you’ll really like it.”

He said a hasty goodbye to the other three, barely sparing them a glance, and pulled Jonghyun with him. Jonghyun turned to wave awkwardly and they all smirked back at him.

“It was nice meeting you!” he called over his shoulder and they waved.

As he was dragged through the dining hall they passed another table which had previously been unoccupied – the only ones present when he arrived had been himself, Minho and Taemin. Now it was used by a group of five young men clad in black from head to toe. All of them watched Kibum and him move across the room with creepy leers, eating their dinner calmly. A shiver rushed down Jonghyun’s spine and he tightened his grip on Kibum’s hand.

“Who are those guys?” he whispered when they had passed the table, though he had a pretty good hunch.

Kibum looked over his shoulder and let out an amused snort.

“The Fire Harmony, as they call themselves. I would introduce you, but they’ve been practising all day and are in a weird mood right now, so let’s save that for later.”

Jonghyun made an uneasy sound and Kibum held his hand tighter.

“They get like that after a long day of practice, it’s nothing to worry about. Their heads work funnily but they’re okay, I guess.” He shrugged, clearly unbothered. It didn’t make Jonghyun feel any less uneasy. “We’re all freaks so we can’t really point any fingers around here.”

Jonghyun blinked and looked closer at Kibum. He definitely didn’t seem like a freak. The only words Jonghyun could think to use to describe him were beautiful, stunning, amazing, gorgeous, amiable, pretty, wonderful– he decided he should stop before his mind ran away from him and he blurted any of this out.

“Freaks?” he questioned instead, not entirely sure he wanted to know.

An embarrassed laugh tumbled out of Kibum, a blush blooming on his cheeks and making him look absolutely lovely.

“I’ll tell you once we arrive at our destination. I don’t want you to feel like I’ve tricked you somehow.”

The answer left Jonghyun wondering what the hell he had gotten himself involved with. He forgot all about it however as Kibum dragged him through the Dome to the centre, where the stage area was located. Eyes wide, mouth agape, Jonghyun turned his head this way and that, curious. Looking up at the rows and rows of seats towering above them made him feel extremely small and he wondered how he hadn’t been afraid of sitting so high up. From here, the seats looked as if they were clinging onto the walls for dear life.

“Come on.”

Kibum tugged at their linked hands excitedly. Jonghyun snapped his mouth shut and stumbled after him, across the stage and to the other side of the room where a small iron staircase spiralled upwards. He squinted up along the core, spotting the end close to the roof, panning out into a small platform mounted to the wall with no safety railings whatsoever.

“Are we climbing all the way up there?” he asked, already feeling exhausted just looking at all the steps.

Kibum turned to him with a sweet smile and Jonghyun’s exhaustion was gone in a flash.

“Yeah, but it will be worth it,” he assured.

Jonghyun stared at him for a moment, losing himself in his eyes, and every cell in his body yearned to pull him close. Kibum turned and began making his way up the stairs, dispelling whatever had fallen over Jonghyun before he managed to act on his emotions.

As Jonghyun watched him make his way upwards, he wondered why the pull towards Kibum and the circus was so strong. He had asked some of his friends, who had seen the second show, how they felt and they had thought it was amazing of course, but weren’t otherwise affected.

Heaving a deep breath, Jonghyun put his musings aside and started climbing the stairs after Kibum. They ascended in silence, the only sound the dull clang of iron against shoe and Jonghyun’s increasingly heavy breaths, his legs screaming at him for mercy. He didn’t understand how Kibum could continue on, looking as unbothered as if he were taking a stroll around town, when his legs felt like lead and his chest wanted to collapse in on itself. Then again, he was a circus performer; he probably had harder training than walking up a seemingly endless staircase.

Finally they reached the top and Jonghyun tipped over, hands on his knees, wheezing loudly and trying not to cough up his lungs. Kibum laughed softly and crouched down so he could look up at his face and give Jonghyun a gentle, encouraging smile. His fingertips brushed across Jonghyun’s forehead, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. Jonghyun managed to shoot a grin back at him and straighten up, reaching out a hand to pull Kibum back to his feet. Kibum beamed and let their fingers tangle and suddenly he was the only thing in Jonghyun’s vision. It would be so easy to just lean in and press a soft kiss to that pretty smile. Jonghyun’s body swayed in anticipation but he caught himself and let out a small, choked cough.

“So, why did I need all that exercise?” he asked, diverting his mind from thoughts of kissing. His cheeks were heating up and his skin tingled. “Are you trying to indirectly tell me I need to lose weight?” He joked, trying to ease the sudden tension in the air.

Kibum’s cheeks turned a little pink and he bit his lip, smiling and looking to the wall.

“Well…”

He strode over to a metal box fixed to the wall, bringing Jonghyun with him by their linked hands. The lid opened to reveal so many blinking buttons and shining levers that Jonghyun’s head spun just looking at them. Kibum thankfully seemed to know what he was doing because he swiftly, and determinedly, pressed a few of the buttons and pulled on one lever. The lights went out and a faintly familiar whirring sound echoed through the empty dome. Jonghyun looked up and saw the ceiling once again open up, revealing the night sky with its billions upon billions of stars. Another whirring sound filled the air and a black net spread across the open space, at the same height the platform was, a few meters below the opening in the ceiling.

“Oh, so you do have a safety net,” Jonghyun remarked and Kibum laughed.

“It’s for Minho and Taemin’s benefit when I can’t be with them at practice.”

Jonghyun frowned because not a single bit of that sentence made any sort of sense. Kibum, who had been looking at the net spreading across the open space, glanced at him and shrugged half-heartedly.

“Anyway, come on!”

He quickly pulled Jonghyun to the edge of the platform, where the net connected, and let go of his hand before stepping out on it. Jonghyun stared after him as he made his way to the middle of the net with graceful ease, only to throw himself down and spread his limbs out. Jonghyun chuckled a little as Kibum turned to beckon him over and hesitantly stepped off the platform–

And stumbled forward awkwardly.

He would have fallen on his face if his hands hadn’t instinctively shot back to grab the railing of the staircase. A giggle made its way over to him and he looked up to see Kibum had sat up. Ears burning, Jonghyun straightened up again and managed to wobble his way over to Kibum’s side where he quickly sat down to avoid another accident.

“Okay, so what are we doing?” Jonghyun asked curiously – and nervously.

He tried to not look down at the stage, which was so far below them, but his hands still trembled lightly.

“This won’t break, will it?” he couldn’t help but ask.

Kibum laughed again and put his hand on Jonghyun’s chest, pushing him to lie down. Completely forgetting how to breathe, he looked up at a happy Kibum hovering above him. Every single coherent thought left his head and his heartbeat went wild. He was sure Kibum could feel it, what with his hand still lingering on his chest, especially by the way his eyes softened and he looked down at his hand.

“Just lay down and relax,” Kibum whispered and he was so, so close.

Jonghyun swallowed harshly. He could actually feel Kibum’s minty breath on his face and he fleetingly wondered if he had brushed his teeth or just been chewing gum.

“And breathe,” Kibum added in a chuckle before he pulled back and laid down beside him, their shoulders pressed together.

That’s when Jonghyun finally saw it. He inhaled in a rush, eyes wide.

The starry night sky stretched above them, small glimmering dots greeting them cheerily. The moon hid just behind the edge of the opening, casting a soft glow over the walls behind their spot on the net. The faint sound of waves crashing against the cliffs drifted over to them and the even fainter sound of trams clattering along the streets accompanied it. A calmness settled in the air and Jonghyun’s muscles relaxed one by one. Awed, he traced a few stars before stealing a glance at Kibum from the corner of his eye. Kibum had his eyes closed, a small smile playing on his lips. He looked so lovely Jonghyun wanted to pull him to his chest, kiss him, and never let go.

He looked back up at the stars and cleared his throat.

“So, um, everyone here is a– a freak, as you put it?” he asked quietly, hesitantly, stealing another but quicker glance at Kibum.

“Yeah,” he sighed, eyes still closed.

His smile dimmed and Jonghyun swallowed. He wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to know anymore.

“What kind of freak are we talking about?” he said, trying not to sound nervous, this time keeping his gaze on Kibum’s face.

Kibum’s eyes opened and he turned his head to look at him, searching his face for something. He bit his lip, looking unsure, and Jonghyun wanted to reach out and hold his hand. Kibum turned his gaze back to the sky.

“We kind of–,” he cut off, hesitated. “We have a sort of… fault in our bodily system that makes us... well, weird.”

Jonghyun frowned.

“Weird how?”

Kibum filled his cheeks with air and blew it out noisily.

“Well, for starters, Jinki can actually communicate with animals and the only reason they are so calm and peaceful is because he can force living things to be calm with just his will.”

Jonghyun blinked and his heart skipped a beat.

“Wait, he did that to me!” he exclaimed in astonishment. “In the dining hall!”

“He can’t control it sometimes.” Kibum wrinkled his nose. “Sorry.”

Jonghyun shook his head.

“It’s okay, I guess. As long as it doesn’t cause any mental or physical damage to me, I’m fine with it.”

Kibum smiled tightly at him.

“Then do those creepy fire guys know how to control fire?” Jonghyun asked excitedly and Kibum looked a little taken aback. “Like fire bending?”

Kibum shot him a questioning look, but hummed.

“Something like that, yeah, though I don’t know what fire bending is. They can create and control fire with their bare hands. It’s mostly cool but they accidentally burned down a building once.”

“Oh…” Jonghyun worried his bottom lip. “Minho and Taemin?”

“They have an ability to generate a magnetic field which makes it easier for them to never miss a trapeze or make a mistake. Though they still get some help from me.”

A small frown formed on Kibum’s forehead and he fell silent.

“And you?” Jonghyun asked after a few seconds, voice low and careful.

Kibum looked up, studying his face carefully. Their eyes met and they looked at each other for a long time. There was an insecure and vulnerable look to Kibum and this time Jonghyun didn’t stop himself from reaching out and grabbing his hand.

“I...” Kibum swallowed nervously, squeezing his hand. “I can defy gravity. The rules of physics don’t seem to apply to me and those I want if I will it and... I shine in the moonlight.” He almost whispered the last words and a soft pink appeared on his cheeks. “That’s how I help Minho and Taemin.”

“Shine in the moonlight?” Jonghyun repeated in a murmur, remembering the breathtaking performance he had seen.

Kibum watched him closely, chewing on his bottom lip as he waited for his reaction. Jonghyun’s mouth tugged up at the corners and he couldn’t help but make the comment:

“Like the vampires?”

Kibum stared at him incredulously for a moment before he burst out laughing.

“Really,” he said between giggles, “do vampires shine?”

“Well,” Jonghyun took a deep breath and filled his cheeks with air, turning his head back to look at the stars. “More like sparkle. In the sunlight, if you were to believe the latest version.”

Kibum chuckled and squeezed Jonghyun’s hand, letting out a small breath he seemed to have been holding.

“I...” he began and Jonghyun waited in anticipation for his next words. “Thank you. For not, you know, freaking out.”

Jonghyun grinned.

“Yeah, well, I’m not really surprised.” Kibum looked at him with wide, surprised eyes and Jonghyun waggled his eyebrows at him. “You see, I’m actually from another galaxy. I was sent into space by the authorities on my planet to look for intelligent life and got stuck here on earth.”

The unadultured laugh that bubbled out of Kibum was music to his ears and he couldn’t help but join in.

“Wait,” Jonghyun said as they calmed down. “Is that why I feel such a pull to this place?” 

Kibum looked at him, confused frown on his forehead.

“What?”

“Did you use some magic spell on the audience or something?”

“I– yeah,” Kibum mumbled. “It’s our illusionist’s doing. But she is only supposed to help your imagination so that you can see the stories in our performances.”

Jonghyun frowned.

“Then why do I feel such a strong connection?”

Kibum met his gaze, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth. Suddenly Jonghyun didn’t care why he was so affected. All rational thought left his head and the only thing he could think of was how pretty Kibum looked in the faint moonlight, his lip wedged between his teeth and his eyes narrowed in thought. He saw Kibum’s lip come free, glistening slightly, and his mouth moved but he couldn’t bring himself to understand what he was saying, the shine of his bottom lip capturing all of his attention.

“What?” he asked sheepishly, not able to move his eyes away from the invitingly soft-looking lips.

The corners of Kibum’s mouth tugged up, but when he spoke his voice was serious.

“I said; she might have accidentally used a bit more force on you,” he repeated and Jonghyun managed to tear his gaze from his lips to his eyes instead, which didn’t really do anything to help his brain make sense of anything. “You’re not feeling like that any more, are you?”

“A little, but I’m mostly just coming here because I think I’m falling for you,” he blurted without thinking and both of them blushed, staring at each other.

“Y-you… what?” Kibum looked completely lost.

“Nothing,” Jonghyun said quickly and sat up, internally cursing at himself. “Just forget I opened my big mouth at all.” He laughed nervously, pulling a hand through his hair. “Well, this has been exciting but I really think I should take my big mouth and leave.” He stood up shakily, the net as well as nerves making his legs wobble. “I’ll go jump off a cliff now. It’s been great knowing you. Bye.”

He managed to take three unsteady steps before he was bowled over by a laughing Kibum and fell face first onto the net. The pleasant, warm weight of Kibum landed on his back.

“You’re so silly,” he breathed between laughs in Jonghyun’s ear. A shiver went down Jonghyun’s spine and goose bumps rose where Kibum’s breath tickled his skin. “I can’t believe you just said that!”

“Yeah, well,” Jonghyun huffed and turned. Kibum slid off his back and they shuffled until they were facing each other. “Sorry if I offended you or anything.”

“How can one person be so attractively idiotic?” Kibum laughed again, both mirth and happiness shining in his eyes.

Jonghyun tried his hardest not to pout.

“Was that a compliment? ‘Cause it sure didn’t feel like one. I don’t think you know how compliments wor–”

He didn’t get much farther as Kibum grabbed the front of his shirt and crashed their lips together. It was a simple and short kiss, but the best one Jonghyun could ever remember receiving. It left him completely dumbfounded and immobile and all his senses suddenly filled with Kibum.

“Stupid,” Kibum chuckled as he pulled back and Jonghyun managed to gather himself enough to not look like a gaping fish.

“Still not complimenting,” he mumbled, but couldn’t really care less if his stupidity meant Kibum would kiss him again.

“Shut up,” Kibum mumbled back, tone amused, and pulled him in.

And Jonghyun really couldn’t do anything else than comply with his request.

“So,” Jonghyun said slowly after a few minutes of peaceful silence, in which they had resumed looking at the stars.

Kibum snuggled closer, his head resting on Jonghyun's chest as Jonghyun let his fingertips lightly run up and down his arm.

“Hm?” Kibum hummed, sounding sleepy.

“You kissed me.”

Kibum let out a soft laugh and turned his head. He rested his chin on Jonghyun's chest in order to look up at him with a small, bashful smile.

“You kissed me back.”

Jonghyun grinned at him.

“Well, it’s not like I haven’t thought about it every single minute.”

Kibum raised his eyebrows, still smiling.

“Really?”

It was only then that Jonghyun realised what he had said and his face burned.

“I-I mean… oh god.” He covered his face with his unoccupied hand, muffling his words. “I never know when to shut up around you.”

Kibum laughed, hugging him tighter.

“It’s okay. It makes things a lot easier.”

“It makes me a lot uncooler as well.”

Kibum laughed heartily at that. Jonghyun couldn’t help but chuckle too, giddy with joy despite his embarrassment.

“You know, I don’t think uncooler is a word,” Kibum chortled after a moment.

Jonghyun was about to answer that it was too a word when there was a call from below them. Kibum sat up abruptly and squinted down at the stage through the net. Jonghyun followed his lead and spotted a small figure that looked like a girl with waist-long, blonde hair gazing up at them.

“Key!” she called again, her hands cupped around her mouth.

“Yeah?” he called back, posture tensing.

Jonghyun threw him a quizzical look, but it went unnoticed, as his full attention seemed to be on the girl.

“The Owner wants to see you!”

Kibum bit his lip and glanced at Jonghyun, looking guilty. Jonghyun shrugged at him with a crooked smile, wordlessly trying to tell him it was okay. He wasn’t even sure why Kibum felt guilty in the first place. Kibum closed his eyes and took a deep breath before letting it out slowly, meeting Jonghyun's gaze steadily. The look in his eyes was guarded, as if he were bracing himself for something he knew would end badly. Jonghyun wanted to ask so badly, but he didn’t have the time.

“Okay!” Kibum called to the girl without breaking their eye contact.

He stood up, pulling Jonghyun with him, and led the way back to the platform, hand steady in Jonghyun’s. Once they were safely on the platform, Kibum pressed and pulled the buttons and levers again closing the roof and pulling the net back in. They stood together in silence, watching the net retract back to where it came from. Jonghyun threw a quick glance at Kibum and saw his brow furrowed.

“Do you wanna take a shortcut?” he suddenly asked, looking at him with a playful glint in his eyes. It didn’t seem entirely genuine, but Jonghyun wasn’t going to call him out on it.

Instead, he swallowed loudly. He had a feeling he knew where this was going and he hoped fervently that he was wrong.

“W-well… that depends.”

Kibum laughed and grabbed his hands.

“Don’t let go,” was the only thing he said before he jumped off the platform. Jonghyun had no other choice than to follow with a yell so loud it could have been heard miles away.

Their descent picked up speed quickly. Everything around them blurred and the wind whooshed in Jonghyun’s ears, the tinkling of Kibum's exhilarated laugh weaving through it. Jonghyun's breath had disappeared after the initial yell and he hadn’t quite managed to catch it again, rendering him unable to utter any other sounds or try to shout at Kibum to stop their fall. He could only close his eyes as the ground rushed towards them and hope the impact would kill him instantly and not let him feel any pain.

Suddenly his body came to an abrupt stop mid-fall and the only thing he could hear was a giggling Kibum. He gasped out a few quick breaths and it took a second before he dared open his eyes a crack. They were suspended in the air, floating barely a few centimetres above the stage and just as he realised it, Kibum let go of his hands and gravitation kicked in again. He tumbled to the floor with a groan but Kibum landed lightly on his feet beside him.

“Sorry,” he giggled.

Jonghyun let out a grunt and sat up.

“I would appreciate it if you warned me next time.”

“Next time?” Kibum asked, grinning from ear to ear.

Jonghyun grimaced at him, standing up heavily.

“Well, I’m planning on sticking around if you hadn’t noticed. And since it is kind of your thing…”

Kibum bit his lip, smile shy, and his gaze fell to the floor. His hand came up to tuck a few strands of hair behind his ear as a blush spread across his cheeks, sending Jonghyun’s insides flipping in somersaults. He was about to reach out and brush his fingertips across the colour on Kibum’s cheeks when he noticed several bluish marks on his skin, only visible because the arm of the t-shirt had been ruffled enough to ride up his arm during the fall.

He frowned and grabbed Kibum's wrist in one hand, his other pulling the arm of the t-shirt out of the way completely. Kibum looked at him curiously as Jonghyun leaned in to inspect what seemed to be five bruises in the shapes of fingers circling his upper arm.

“What is this?” Jonghyun whispered, worry filling his voice and chest. “Who did this to you?”

Kibum followed his gaze and his mouth opened in a perfect ‘o’, as if he had just remembered the bruises were there. He gently pulled his arm out of Jonghyun’s grip and tugged the sleeve down over them again.

“It’s nothing really,” he said offhandedly, clutching the end of the sleeve as if he were afraid Jonghyun would pull it off completely. “I just bruise easily.”

Jonghyun raised his eyebrows at him, unconvinced, and was about to investigate further when someone cleared their throat. The two of them turned to see the same girl who had interrupted them before standing just a few metres away. She had her hands on her hips and drummed her fingers against them impatiently.

“Right,” Kibum said, his entire demeanour turning apprehensive and guarded. He looked like reality had just slapped him in the face, but Jonghyun had no idea what that reality was. “Sorry, I’ll go now.”

He threw a longing glance at Jonghyun, raised his hand in a wave and turned around to leave.

“Kibum, wait.” Jonghyun desperately grabbed his wrist again. He couldn’t just let him leave like that, not after the bruises he’d seen.

“Jessica will see you out,” Kibum mumbled with his back still turned. “I have to go.”

“Wha–”

Jonghyun didn’t get much further because Kibum once again twisted his arm out of his hold and sprinted away, leaving him alone with Jessica, who was watching him with great interest. When Kibum was out of sight she reached out a hand, smiling amicably.

“Hello, I’m Jessica,” she introduced herself. “I’m the illusionist.”

Jonghyun, who had been staring after Kibum with his mouth open in disbelief, snapped his head in her direction.

“The illusionist?” he asked, sounding more threatening than he intended. She nodded, her eyebrows raised questioningly at his tone. “Then you’re responsible for making me feel the pull to this place!”

“Oh.” She turned her gaze to her feet guiltily, fumbling with her hands. “I-I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…”

“No, no, it’s okay,” he hastily assured, feeling bad for seeming like he blamed her. He smiled. “I got to meet Kibum thanks to you, after all.”

Her eyes shot up to his and something dark passed them, her face going serious for a split second. Then she smiled back.

“Yeah,” she giggled. “I guess it’s not so bad then, huh?”

“Nah, but I guess I owe you thanks.” Jonghyun grinned.

“My pleasure,” she replied cheerily. Then she gestured in the direction of the door. “Let me see you out.”

Jonghyun frowned. He really felt like he should be going after Kibum. Call it instinct or whatever, but the nagging feeling that something was going on had grown stronger the more time he had spent with Kibum. And the bruises had kind of just made it worse.

“Right… I can’t just wait for Kibum to come back?”

She bit her lip briefly.

“Well,” she started slowly, “he’s going to be a while, so I think it would be best if you came back tomorrow.”

“Oh.” Jonghyun couldn’t hide his disappointment.

Jessica laughed lightly at his crestfallen look.

“Don’t worry!” she assured. “He’s still going to be here!”

That just made his worry worsen. Before he could pry for more information, she turned to lead the way and he reluctantly followed. There was something suspicious in the way she had answered him. Jonghyun's instinctive feeling of unease intensified even more and his worry grew tenfold. What in the world was going on? And who was The Owner?

He glanced at Jessica but decided against asking. He wasn’t entirely sure he could trust her.

Another thing that worried him was the speed at which he was falling for Kibum. It wasn’t healthy to be this deep in feelings after just what? Two days? But he had no way of stopping it, neither did he want to stop it. Kibum was something else, something he had never encountered in his life. He filled Jonghyun with so many new feelings and Jonghyun just couldn’t get enough. He wanted to know everything about him to the extent he didn’t have the mind to think about anything that was happening around him when they were together.

And he had a feeling it could end terribly.

The door to the shop opened and Jonghyun quickly pocketed his phone, on which he had been playing games for hours. It had been such a slow day, no customers whatsoever. Getting off the small stool behind the counter, he heaved a quiet sigh and forced a professional smile onto his lips before he looked up to greet the customer. His eyes widened as his gaze fell upon Jessica.

“Um, hi?” he said uncertainly. “Can I help you?”

She smiled charmingly.

“I’m just looking around.”

Jonghyun frowned because her gaze never left him to actually ´look around´. Instead, she made her way straight over to the counter and they ended up staring at each other silently.

“Are you here to bring me to the Dome?” Jonghyun asked after a moment of awkward silence.

A puzzled frown fell on her brow and Jonghyun raised his eyebrows.

“Like Taemin and Minho did?” he clarified and a look of comprehension took over her frown.

“Oh, well… no,” she said slowly, fiddling with her fingers.

“Oh…” he said and the awkward silence between them grew thicker. Jonghyun rolled on his feet. “So… is there something you need?”

“Um.” She bit her lip and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, blushing faintly, before continuing quickly: “We arrived just recently and I’m not really accustomed to the town so I was wondering if… if you could show me around sometime?”

“O-oh,” Jonghyun repeated, a little taken aback by her straightforwardness. He cleared his throat and scratched his neck sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I have other plans tonight. Maybe another time?”

Her face fell and he bit his lip, feeling guilty. Still, going to see Kibum was more important than wasting time showing her around town. He needed to know what was going on with him and his bruises. He also wasn’t ashamed to admit Kibum had him wrapped around his little finger without knowing it. Jonghyun longed to be near him every second of the day and was ready to do anything for him. It was honestly a bit pathetic.

“You’re meeting Key?” Jessica asked quietly as if she had read his mind and Jonghyun’s face warmed.

“I planned to.” He gave an embarrassed laugh but the blank look she shot him made him frown. “Is he busy?”

She shook her head faintly, as if getting rid of a thought, and smiled sweetly.

“No, he’ll be done with practice soon I believe.”

Jonghyun smiled back and glanced at the clock.

“Great! My shift ends in a minute!”

“Then we can walk together,” she suggested, her smile widening, and he hesitantly agreed.

They ended up walking in painfully awkward silence. None of them had anything interesting to say and Jonghyun eagerly greeted a few people here and there on the street, thankful for at least some distraction. He let out a relieved breath as he took his first step onto the bridge, the ever present pull in his chest lessening a little. Jessica had seemed to be deep in her own thoughts most of the way, anyway, so Jonghyun didn’t feel too bad for not keeping a conversation going. The entire walk she had had a frown on her forehead and her bottom lip caught between her teeth. She only seemed to wake up when they arrived at the entrance and sent a small, apologetic smile at Jonghyun before she took out a key to open the doors.

“Thank you,” Jonghyun mumbled.

She looked like she was about to something as they made their way across the entrance hall when a tall, dark haired man with eyes that almost looked black. He was making his way out of one of the corridors leading to the practice areas.

“Ah, Jessica,” he said in a dark, cold, and emotionless voice that sent shivers of fright down Jonghyun's spine.

He wouldn’t want to deal with that man in the near future, he thought as he glanced at Jessica, who now had an emotionlessly professional expression. He wondered what such a sinister man could want with her.

She bowed respectfully.

“Yes, Owner?”

Jonghyun had to stifle a gasp and quickly bowed down as well, afraid he would offend him.

“I was looking for you,” The Owner continued. “I have something you need to investigate.”

Jessica straightened up and Jonghyun followed her lead, trying to look serious as serious as her.

“Of course, Owner,” she answered. “Leave the details on my desk.”

The Owner nodded, seemingly satisfied, and turned to leave. Jonghyun was about to let out a breath of relief, since he hadn’t seemed to even notice him, when those pitch black eyes suddenly fell upon him, freezing him to his spot.

“Who might this be?” he asked, tone low and dangerous.

Jonghyun swallowed loudly. But when he opened his mouth to answer, Jessica cut him off.

“He’s a friend of mine that I met out in town,” she said quickly and The Owner’s dark eyes moved back to her, as well as Jonghyun’s, who was beyond confused. Jessica glanced at him briefly, her eyes clearly telling him to not speak. “I just wanted to show him where I work.”

The Owner narrowed his eyes at her and they stared at each other for a second. His gaze slid back to Jonghyun again, who was still rigidly rooted to his spot.

“Really, now?” he said in the same dangerously low tone and a few seconds of silence passed as he scrutinised Jonghyun. “Well, I am leaving on business soon and you know the rules; no outsiders in the Dome unless I’m present.”

“Yes, Owner,” she immediately replied. “I will make it quick.”

The Owner nodded and, after casting one last suspicious glance at Jonghyun, returned to where he had come from. Jessica bowed once again, Jonghyun hurrying to do the same. They didn’t rise from their positions until the Owner’s footsteps had faded away.

“Um,” Jonghyun couldn’t speak above a whisper. “Why did you lie?”

For a moment, Jessica stared down the hallway The Owner had disappeared in. Then she turned to him, face set in a hard expression

“It’s easier that way,” she answered shortly. “While you’re here you’re my friend, understand? The Owner won’t take it too kindly to knowing you’re here for Key.” She turned on her heel and began to walk away. “I suppose you can find your own way to his practise room?”

She didn’t wait for an answer and Jonghyun could only stare at her retreating back in puzzlement. The Owner wouldn’t like it; what the hell was supposed to mean?

The creaking of a door somewhere close pulled him out of his thoughts and he jumped, looking around wildly in terror, half expecting The Owner to be back.

“Oh!” a pleasantly surprised voice said behind him and he turned.

A girl with long black hair and round, cute face and a quite boyish girl with short, blonde hair entered the Dome .

“Uh…” was all he could think to say, glancing around nervously.

“Hello!” the cute girl said cheerfully and bounced over to him. She took his hand and shook it enthusiastically, making his whole body quake. “Welcome!”

The other girl appeared beside them, peering at Jonghyun curiously.

“H-hi,” Jonghyun spluttered, blushing under their appraising eyes. “U-um, I… uh...”

The boyish girl’s eyes widened and she grinned.

“Ooh, I know who you are!”

“You– uh, you do?” Jonghyun stammered.

“Ooh,” the cute girl echoed, bouncing on her feet. “I do too! Come!”

She grabbed Jonghyun's arm and dragged him over to a staircase. He remembered he had taken it the first time for the show to get to the top floor.

“We’ll guide you!”

“Y-you will?” he stuttered in confusion and the boyish girl grabbed his other arm.

They just laughed, dragging him up to the second floor, through the door with the ´personnel only´ sign, and down the corridor hidden behind it. Giggling impishly, they pulled him over to the door at the end and opened it. They unceremoniously pushed him inside and he tripped over his own feet, falling to the floor just as they closed the door behind him.

“What the hell?” Jonghyun muttered and sat up.

He rubbed at his left elbow, which had banged against the dark wooden floor in the room quite hard. Why did everyone here have to behave so weirdly? He just wanted to spend time with Kibum in peace.

Heaving a heavy sigh, he looked up and blinked.

He was in what appeared to be a bedroom suite. A large king-sized bed stood proudly on a soft looking, wine red mat in the middle on a little dias, dark purple covers and pillows on it. The walls were a warm burgundy and there was tulle fabric in all colours imaginable decorating the walls, hanging around paintings, lamps, over the bed posts, and in front of the windows, whose blinds were drawn. A plush, navy-blue armchair had been placed to his right, in front of a marble-top table. The table was overloaded with books and papers, some had even spilled onto the floor. There was also a dark, wooden dresser in the far right corner of the room with some picture frames on it. The only light in the room was a warm, orange-ish glow coming from two kerosene lamps standing on a bedside table each.

Jonghyun realised his mouth had fallen open in awe at the dark but colourful room and quickly closed it, getting to his feet slowly. A door to his left he hadn’t noticed because of the tulle fabric hanging in front, opened and his heart skipped a beat. He unconsciously held his breath, expecting to be screamed at by whomever owned the room, though it wasn’t his fault he was even there in the first place.

His mouth fell open again when Kibum appeared from behind the fabric shielding the door. It had to be an ensuite bathroom since he emerged with his hair wavy from dampness, wearing only a towel around his frame, which Jonghyun only now noticed was too thin. His breath rushed out and his heart gave up on beating. Kibum flinched at the sound and turned to him with a wide-eyed, surprised expression that turned into a joyous, dimpled smile when he saw him by the door.

“Jonghyun,” he said, voice soft and happy.

Jonghyun swallowed harshly, feeling blood rushing to places it shouldn’t.

“Hey, I– uh, you– what?” he tried, but his brain didn’t get anywhere close to stringing together anything coherent. In his current state it was a feat he even managed words and it helped absolutely nothing when Kibum let out an amused, tinkling laugh.

“Do you need a moment?” he asked, his eyes glittering mischievously and Jonghyun could only blink rapidly at him, brain buffering. “Sit down wherever you like. I’ll get dressed quickly.”

Jonghyun swallowed again, his throat dry. Thankfully, the armchair was just two steps away and he sat down before his legs folded beneath him. He tried not to ogle Kibum, he really did, but it was like he had a gravitational force surrounding him and Jonghyun’s eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to his faintly glowing body. However, the excited tingles under his skin quickly disappeared as his eyes landed on more of those finger shaped bruises. This time they not only decorated Kibum’s upper arms, but also his waist and hips Jonghyun noticed as he let the towel slide down.

“Kibum,” Jonghyun murmured.

He turned around, a small smile on his lips. It faltered when his eyes fell upon Jonghyun’s serious expression, and a puzzled frown took over his face.

“What?” he murmured back.

Jonghyun stood up again and slowly, cautiously, made his way over, like he would to a scared animal to show he had no intention of hurting it. Kibum looked even more confused, raising his eyebrows at Jonghyun as he came to a stop in front of him. Jonghyun tentatively raised a hand and Kibum's eyes followed it curiously. He could hear him stop breathing as he gently let his fingertips caress his waist, where the bruises were blooming, down to his hip and he sighed sadly.

“Who is doing this to you?” he whispered.

“What?” Kibum mumbled, frowning again, and looked down at the place Jonghyun was touching. “Oh.”

Jonghyun watched as he struggled to come up with an answer, his hand resting on his hip.

“I’ve just been clumsy lately,” Kibum said uncertainly, chewing on his lip without meeting Jonghyun’s eyes. “I walked into the handle of a door today. It’s probably where I got the bruises.”

“I don’t believe you,” Jonghyun murmured. “These are bruises caused by someone’s fingers.”

Kibum's eyes snapped up to his, scared and guilty.

“I-I–,” He stammered and took a deep, shaky breath. “W-well, I–,” he tried again but cut off, closing his eyes. “I can’t.” He said quietly, almost whimpering.

Jonghyun's chest ached at the visible struggle inside him and reached up to cup his cheek with his other hand, making him look into his eyes again. He had no idea what made it so hard for Kibum tell him what had happened, but he definitely wouldn’t force him to speak if he felt that he couldn’t. Instead he would simply be there for him, if he ever needed help. That was really all he could do.

“You know, I somehow am hopelessly in love with you,” Jonghyun declared voice soft, lips pulling up in the corners. “So I’ll be here for when you need me.”

Kibum’s watery eyes grew as round as dinner plates. Then he blinked a few times and smiled tenderly at him. His gaze fell back to his bruises and he swallowed harshly.

“I am hopelessly in love with you too,” he whispered, his cheeks tinting. “Please remember that.”

Jonghyun's smile widened into a grin and he leaned forward to press a kiss to Kibum's lips. His arms circled Kibum’s waist carefully, avoiding the bruises the best he could. Kibum put his arms around Jonghyun's neck and shoulders, hugging him close, humming.

Still, there was a gnawing worry in the back of Jonghyun's head. Because why did Kibum have to ask him to remember that he loved him?

Yet again, the suspicion that something was definitely not as it should be grew and Jonghyun had no idea what to do.

Jonghyun woke with a start, sweaty and tangled in his sheets. Menacing, dark eyes still peered at him, just outside his peripheral, and his skin crawled. Heart pounding, he turned his head but nothing was there. He closed his eyes and swallowed harshly, taking a deep, calming breath.

“It was just a dream,” he convinced himself, trying to calm his erratic heartbeat.

Somehow he didn’t believe his own words one bit. It had been five days since he encountered The Owner and since then, every night he would have the same dream; a pair of eyes, darker than anything he had ever seen, staring at him, watching his every move. They were only visible in the corner of his eye and disappeared as soon as he turned his head the slightest, only to reappear in the other corner of his eye. Jonghyun was entirely certain The Owner was the source of these nightmares.

He had tried asking Kibum, but he had not been able to help him. It looked like it pained him whenever he tried saying something but couldn’t get the words out and it nagged Jonghyun beyond belief. He was starting to think Kibum wasn’t incapable of telling him because he was afraid, but because he actually couldn’t. Which scared Jonghyun even more.

He was now convinced he needed to get Kibum out of Cirque Fantasia and away from The Owner. Not only because he physically couldn’t speak of things, but also because his bruises increased by the day. Jonghyun had a strong suspicion it was The Owner’s doing and he didn’t dare think of what the reason was.

He jumped again as a scrambling noise came from the kitchen and froze for a moment, mind reeling with scenarios going from a cat having sneaked in to bloodthirsty murderers. Sitting up, he looked around the room for something to protect himself with. The best thing he could find was his bedside lamp and he grabbed it with shaky hands, cautiously and silently tiptoeing out of his room and down the hall towards the kitchen. He stopped right before turning the corner, steeling himself and gripping the lamp tighter. Then he took a deep breath and quickly entered the kitchen, raising the lamp above his head to smash it over whoever had dared break in. Before he could, however, his arms froze above his head and he stopped mid-step.

“Mom,” he breathed in relief and lowered the lamp. A short, dark-haired woman looked up from the frying pan she was making pancakes in to look at him. “Hi.”

His mother raised her eyebrows at him skeptically, pursing her mouth as she glanced down at the lamp in his hands, but didn’t comment on it.

“No word from you in over a month and the only thing you have to say is ‘hi’? Kim Jonghyun, I let you move here on what condition?”

Jonghyun sighed.

“I have to keep in touch at least twice a week and come back home for one weekend every month.” He smiled half-heartedly. “I’m sorry, mom.”

She let out a deep sigh and shook her head, turning back to the stove.

“Sit down. I made you breakfast.”

Jonghyun's face lit up in a happy smile and he did as he was told immediately, his stomach rumbling as the smell of pancakes made its way over to him.

“How’s dad?” he asked once he was seated, placing the lamp on the chair beside him.

“He’s fine.” She waved a hand dismissively. “Goes out fishing every weekend to get a calm moment from his work. The doctor said his blood pressure is too high.”

“Oh.”

She glanced over her shoulder at him, smiling lightly.

“He misses you too, wants to take you and Sodam out on a fishing trip again. Like when you were kids.”

Jonghyun smiled fondly, as memories of his childhood and all the trips they used to go on came to him.

“I’ll try and get home soon.”

She nodded. Then a plate of steaming pancakes landed in front of him, the syrup bottle beside the plate.

“Dig in. You look like you’re not eating properly. And your fridge is almost empty!”

Jonghyun didn’t need to be told twice and practically gobbled the entire plate down before she could even return to the stove and make more. He wasn’t a great cook, which meant he didn’t often eat home cooked meals. It mostly consisted of instant ramen or pizza. This was the best he had had in a while.

“Ah lofhe you sho muh mom,” Jonghyun said through the last mouthful of pancakes. He swallowed it down to speak properly after his mother gave him a raise of her eyebrows. “You’re the best.”

“Well, that’s nice to know,” she snorted. “I was starting to wonder.” Jonghyun grimaced guiltily. “Why have you been so busy?”

“I had a lot of school assignments to finish and then…” he trailed off, thinking about the circus and Kibum. His mother turned to look at him curiously and he smiled at her. “I went to the circus.”

A disbelieving look came his way.

“You what?”

“I went to the new circus that arrived in town not long ago,” Jonghyun said. “It’s really amazing. Actual magic.”

“Jonghyun,” his mother sighed.

“And I met someone.”

Apparently that shocked her, because she almost poured the batter onto the stove instead of into the pan.

“You did?”

“Yeah.” Jonghyun's smile softened and warmth filled his chest. “He’s really pretty and fun and sweet and amazing and just– just so–”

“He?” his mother asked carefully, looking unsure if she had heard correctly as she put down the bowl of batter and turned off the stove before turning to him fully.

He nodded, frowning.

“Yeah. Is… is that a problem?”

She searched his face for a few seconds and shook her head.

“No, if it’s what you want. But are you sure? I thought you liked girls?”

Jonghyun blinked at her.

Well, he had never dated a guy before, that was true. Though, he didn’t really think much about who he dated. He usually liked people who made him feel good inside. And that’s exactly what Kibum did, more than anyone ever had before. He knew it wasn’t some sort of spell, like the one that had made him go back to the Dome, which he had initially feared. The time he had spent with Kibum had erased that doubt because he knew that had felt different. It had felt like he was forced against his will. It hadn’t been pleasant and he had tried to avoid it. With Kibum he didn’t feel as if it was forced but like something he wanted with all of his being. Kibum made him happy and warm and fuzzy.

“I’m sure,” he said with conviction and his mother smiled softly.

“Then there is absolutely no problem, sweetheart,” she said, coming over and patting his cheek gently.

Jonghyun grinned up at her.

“I wish you could meet him, mom. He’s really great.”

“Bring him with you next time you visit home, then.” She returned to the stove and started on the pancakes again.

“I will!”

When his mother was satisfied with the amount of pancakes he had eaten, she went to work on the rest of his apartment, cleaning up and doing the laundry, through his protests that he could handle it himself. After she had doted on him some more by taking him grocery shopping and filling his fridge, he followed her to the bus station to say goodbye, promising to visit home soon. He stood watching the bus drive off until it was out of sight before he made his way to the shop to waste a few hours in exchange for money while he waited for the chance to meet Kibum again.

It was boring to say the least. The clock seemed to mock him by going slower than usual, as if it knew Jonghyun just couldn’t wait to get off work. It wanted him to suffer by keeping him from meeting Kibum.

“Stupid invention,” he muttered under his breath, watching the long hand slowly move towards twelve, soon indicating two in the afternoon.

He leaned his forearms against the counter and decided to stare out the window at people passing by instead, sighing every few seconds. His mind wandered through thoughts of Kibum laughing, dancing, watching the sunset. The sound of his boss moving boxes around in the back room and the ticking of the evil clock disturbed him from time to time.

“Jonghyun, you can leave for the day if you want,” his boss called after another agonising thirty minutes had passed, sticking his head out from the storage. “I can handle it on my own.”

Jonghyun grinned at him, quickly putting the little mess he had made during the day in order and gathering his stuff.

“Thanks, boss!” he said cheerfully, energy back and flowing through his veins as he quickly grabbed his jacket.

His boss nodded with an impish smile.

“Have fun on your date!” he said, clearly amused, and Jonghyun’s cheeks warmed.

“How’d you know?”

“Well, I reckon someone must be the reason you can’t stop glaring at the clock and sighing every other minute.”

He winked and Jonghyun could do nothing but laugh in embarrassment. He waved and quickly got out of there, sprinting down the hill to the harbour and the bridge leading to the Dome.

When he had made it halfway across the bridge he felt strangely watched again and snapped his head up to look at the Dome’s many windows. But just like last time, he couldn’t spot anyone. It didn’t feel menacing or ill-intended, though it made his skin crawl and his chest tight. A shiver ran up his spine and he hurried, nearly ran, the last bit across. He was eternally glad the doors were open and he tumbled into the entrance hall, heart in his throat and blood rushing in his ears.

“Jonghyun?”

He jumped with a small yelp and swivelled around to come face to face with a surprised Jinki, who seemed to be on his way to the practice rooms.

“H-hi,” he stammered and Jinki smiled at him. “Nice to see you again.”

“You too.”

“Jinki!” someone called.

They turned to see one of the firebending boys make his way over from one of the corridors.

“Leila escaped,” he said.

Jinki cursed, got out a hasty goodbye and sprinted off, down the way the boy had come from. They heard him muttering under his breath as he went and the fire-boy snorted. When Jinki was out of sight he turned to Jonghyun. A mischievous smirk spread on his lips, his dark eyes and dark hair a stark contrast against his quite pale skin.

“Hello,” he said.

“Hi,” Jonghyun answered hesitantly.

“You’re looking for Kibum,” the boy said, but it sounded more like a statement than a question.

Jonghyun could only nod dumbly. The boy tilted his head to the side, pondering.

“Not the best time, but whatever. He’s in his room. Good luck,” he said cryptically and turned to walk away, leaving Jonghyun to blink at his retreating back.

Confused, he stayed rooted to his spot for a moment. Then he remembered, with a flip of his heart and stomach, that The Owner could show up any minute. After glancing around worriedly, he hurried over to the stairs, taking two at a time until he arrived at the second floor. He sprinted down the corridor, which today was littered here and there with boxes, and clothes racks overcrowded with costumes.

He was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he spotted the door to Kibum's room, but it got caught in his throat as the door opened and someone who very much wasn’t Kibum stepped outside. Jonghyun tried not to make a sound as he caught a glimpse of what he thought was The Owner and dived into the clothes racks closest to him, hoping with all his heart he hadn’t been seen.

“I trust you won’t try something like that again,” a voice said and a cold shiver went down Jonghyun’s spine.

Yep, that was The Owner.

He couldn’t hear the answer Kibum gave him, but apparently it was good enough for The Owner because he closed the door and made his way down the corridor, in Jonghyun's direction. Jonghyun held his breath as the steps came closer. Only The Owner’s feet were visible passing behind all the costumes Jonghyun was hiding in.

It might have been a trick played by his mind since he was scared out of his wits, but he thought he saw the feet slow down as The Owner passed his hiding spot and his heart threatened to beat out of his chest. To his immense relief, though, he passed without stopping and soon Jonghyun could hear him go down the stairs, his footsteps dying out slowly. Once they were completely gone he let out the breath caught in his throat but he didn’t dare move from his hiding spot for a few minutes.

When he was finally convinced The Owner wasn’t coming back anytime soon, he cautiously crawled out from underneath the costumes and quickly but quietly ran over to Kibum's door on shaky legs. He leaned against it as he knocked softly.

“Come in,” he heard Kibum murmur miserably.

He frowned, a sinking feeling in his stomach, and entered the room. The sight that greeted him stopped him dead in his tracks, one foot inside the room. Pain gripped his heart and he gasped.

Kibum was sitting on the bed with nothing but a sheet around him, eyes widening as shock and horror took over his face. Jonghyun stared at him, unable to do much else with the ache in his chest. There wasn’t any doubt in his mind about what had happened. Kibum, who had managed to collect pieces of his heart every time they met, who had made him fall irrevocably in love with him so effortlessly and had him wrapped around his little finger, stared back at him, fear evident in every beautiful feature on his face.

“Jonghyun,” he whispered, voice breaking.

Jonghyun swallowed around the lump that lodged itself in his throat, turned on his heel and ran. He didn’t want to see any more and a sudden anger took over him. He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to scream and shout and cry because how could Kibum do this to him?! How could he make him fall in love, lure him in with his laugh and twinkling eyes, to then hurt him in the worst way possible?!

He managed to get to the middle of the entrance hall before he felt two thin arms around his waist and a forehead pressed against the base of his neck, holding him back, preventing him from going further, from running away.

“Don’t leave,” Kibum begged, his voice choked and trembling. “Please don’t leave me.”

“Don’t say that to me,” he growled. He didn’t mean to, but the emotions were raging inside of him and he didn’t know what to do with himself, what to think or believe.

Kibum flinched at his harsh tone.

“I-I–,” he stammered and Jonghyun felt something drip at the back of his shirt.

Kibum's arms slowly let go of him. Before Jonghyun’s brain even had the time to process his thoughts, his hands flew up to grab Kibum’s wrists and he turned around to face him.

He wished he hadn’t. Because if Jonghyun had just let him pull his hands back and walked out the door he would still have had the chance to be able to go back to his own world, his old, normal life. A life without a beautiful line dancer that was constantly on his mind, without worrying over his bruises, and without falling so hard.

But upon seeing Kibum, still in the sheet now tied around his chest, with tears rolling down his cheeks and the sea that pooled his eyes he couldn’t. He knew the moment he looked at him that he was now stuck forever. Kibum seemed to sense it too, his tears running faster down his cheeks as he cupped Jonghyun’s face. A few tears rolled down his cheeks and Kibum gently brushed them away with his thumbs.

“Why?” he asked. Kibum only held his gaze steadily. “Why are you doing this to me?”

He didn’t answer. Instead he leaned forward and pressed his lips softly against Jonghyun's. Then he took his hand and lead him back to his room where he laid him down on the bed and snuggled into his side, hugging him as if his life depended on it. Jonghyun let him and they both let their tears fall freely, in their own thoughts.

After a long stretch of silence, when both of them had managed to stop crying, Kibum propped up on one elbow and started to gently pull his fingers through Jonghyun’s hair.

“Do you want to hear about my parents?” he asked in a hoarse voice, sounding a little nervous.

Jonghyun, who was blinking heavily at the ceiling, on the brink of falling asleep, turned his eyes to him. He smiled faintly and Kibum bit his lip, the fingers stopping momentarily.

“Sure,” he murmured, though he was a little bewildered. Why did Kibum want to talk about his parents all of a sudden?

Kibum took a deep breath and continued to pull his fingers through Jonghyun’s hair.

“I... I was an unwanted child,” he began with a quivering voice, “but my mother loved me more than anything in the world and I loved her just as much.”

Jonghyun turned to his side so he could face Kibum and his slender fingers combed the hair at the side of his head instead.

“The Owner... well my mother was kind of his... lover?” Kibum grimaced.

Jonghyun stopped breathing.

“Wait,” he said and stared at Kibum, eyes wide. “Do you mean to tell me The Owner is your dad?”

Kibum smiled humorlessly.

“No, he isn’t.”

“Oh.” Jonghyun breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well, my mother was like me... or rather I am almost an exact replica of my mother, freakish abilities and all.” Kibum lay down again and scooted closer so that their faces were only centimetres apart and Jonghyun could feel his breath on his face. “So you can imagine... she was at least a hundred times more beautiful, though. The Owner wanted to keep her all to himself. She was his precious pet, caged and guarded wherever we went.”

Jonghyun slung an arm around Kibum’s waist and rubbed his back reassuringly.

“But one day she met a man, not unlike how you and I met.” Kibum chuckled and Jonghyun couldn’t help but smile. “And they fell in love.”

“And this man, he’s your father?” Jonghyun murmured.

Kibum nodded, his expression darkening.

“But as soon as The Owner found out my mother was pregnant with me and that it was another man’s child hell broke loose. Of course, The Owner would never hurt my mother, he loved her too much.”

Jonghyun swallowed.

“But your father...?”

“He murdered him,” Kibum said grimly. “He would have killed me too, if my mother hadn’t threatened with suicide if he ever took my life.”

Jonghyun looked into Kibum's eyes and wished he could wipe away the scenes that were playing in his mind. He looked so sad and guilty it made his chest ache. The understanding of what he had walked in on earlier dawned on him and he felt a little sick. It was clear now Kibum hadn’t chosen it. But before he could ask, Kibum continued, answering his suspicions as if he had read his thoughts.

“I grew up to look more and more like my mother, which The Owner also noticed of course. Soon he wasn’t just demanding her to come to his room but also me, occasionally.” A dull, heavy beat of anger rushed through Jonghyun and Kibum avoided his gaze. “My mother did everything she could to spare me from going, but when I turned sixteen he wouldn’t take a no, so I had to go.” His voice wavered and Jonghyun pulled him close, tucking his head under his chin and rocking their bodies softly. “It didn’t matter that I was underage or a boy, that night I lost my virginity and ever since then I was forced to go to his room whenever he called, even if my mother tried to make him choose her instead. And after my mother’s death it became my… you can call it responsibility.”

Jonghyun hugged him tighter.

“Why don’t you tell the police he raped you? Or someone? Anyone.”

Kibum shook his head.

“I can’t. This is my home and I don’t have anywhere else to go. Besides, it isn’t really rape if both parties comply, even if he gets rough sometimes. I couldn’t even talk about it up until a few days ago.”

“How can it be complying if he forces you and you get bruises every time?! How is it complying if he knows you have nowhere else to go?! If he forbids you to tell anyone?! You never complied Kibum!” Jonghyun’s voice rose with each word and Kibum flinched. “Sorry.”

Kibum grabbed onto the front of his shirt tightly.

“Well, I usually just laid there so I don’t know… I didn’t start making any resistance until recently. That’s why I have all these bruises. And he wants you to know.”

“What do you mean?”

He pulled back a little to look at Jonghyun’s face.

“It’s because of you,” he whispered. “It’s because you came into my life and filled it with so much warmth and happiness I haven’t felt ever since my mother died. He wants you to be hurt and hate me so you’ll leave, knowing I’m supposed to belong to him.”

Jonghyun blinked at him.

“But that doesn’t mean _ you _need to get hurt like that.”

Kibum let out a short laugh.

“Really, Jonghyun, do I have to spell it out for you?”

“What?”

Kibum searched his face with a small smile on his lips. A small chuckle left him before he whispered:

“I love you.”

Jonghyun felt the whole world freeze around them, Kibum's words ringing in his ears, his body going all warm and gooey. Then his face burst into a giant smile and his heart seemed to lift from his chest, making his whole body tingle.

“Really?”

Kibum laughed.

“Really.”

He leaned in and pressed his lips against Jonghyun’s. He smiled into the kiss and he felt Kibum's lips pull up too. Jonghyun put his arms around him protectively when they pulled apart and Kibum buried his face in his chest.

“I love you too,” Jonghyun murmured and Kibum laughed.

“I kind of noticed.”

He laughed embarrassedly and Kibum pulled back to smile up at him. Their smiles faded into something sombre.

“You know, you always have a place with me,” Jonghyun said. “Kibum, you need to get out of here. You don’t have to go to the police if you don’t want to, just… please.”

Kibum took a deep, trembling breath, averting his eyes.

“I… I wish I could,” he whispered. “But as long as The Owner is still around I can’t.”

Jonghyun frowned. 

“Why not?” he asked softly.

Kibum bit his lip and seemed to try really hard to get the words out, taking a few deep breaths. He gave up after struggling for a while and looked up at Jonghyun helplessly, eyes wide and glassy.

“You can’t tell me?”

Kibum shook his head, a tear escaping. Jonghyun gave him a small, warm smile and kissed his forehead softly.

“It’s okay,” he murmured against his skin. “I’ll find out on my own.”

Kibum sat up abruptly, his eyes filled with fear.

“No! Jonghyun you… you don’t know!” he said, sounding a little hysterical.

Jonghyun sat up as well.

“What?”

Kibum wrung his hands together, his shoulders tense.

“If his plan to make you leave because of disgust doesn’t work he could really hurt you! He–,” his voice broke and tears rolled down his cheeks again.

“Kibum,” Jonghyun murmured and dried them away gently. “If you’re telling me to leave… I won’t be able to do that.”

Kibum shook his head.

“I-I can’t let you… le-leave,” he sobbed and took a shuddering breath. “I can’t– can’t stay away from you a-and I can’t lose you. I-I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Jonghyun whispered.

Kibum looked up, eyes filled with helplessness and fear.

“I can’t help but be selfish.”

Jonghyun smiled faintly and leaned in to kiss him.

“It’s okay. I want you to be.”

Then he pulled Kibum to his chest, hugging him tightly, as he wondered how he was going to solve the situation. When Kibum put his arms around him and hugged back he decided that whichever solutions came up, he would choose the one where he could give Kibum the freedom and love he deserved, no matter the cost.

Things were starting to go awry, Jonghyun decided as he opened his apartment door later that night and came face to face with two hooded figures. The light in the hallway was out, so he couldn’t quite make out who they were. It seemed to be two men, judging by the shape of them, looming as they crowded his door. He hadn’t turned on the light in his entrance either, which in hindsight was just plain dumb, because now he couldn’t see anything. But he had just been about to fall asleep, since it was well past midnight, and hadn’t wanted to blind himself. Now he stood fidgeting in his pyjamas, regretting every decision that had led him to this point.

“Can I help you?” he asked hoarsely, his throat dry with fright. He tried to close the door as slowly and inconspicuously as he could, wracking his brain for where he had left his phone so he could run to it and call the police.

He had no luck though. One of the figures picked up on his intentions and shot his hand out to push the door open so fast and hard Jonghyun stumbled backwards.

“Come with us,” one of them demanded, leaving no room for questions or protests. Jonghyun had no way of knowing who had spoken, which made the whole thing even scarier than it already was.

“No thank you, I’m good,” he said, trying to close the door again. “I’ll just go back to bed now, if you don’t mind. You two gentlemen have a good nig–”

The figure on the right punched him in the stomach and he doubled over with a loud groan, the breath knocked out of him.

“Now,” the other figure demanded and Jonghyun was slung onto his assaulter’s shoulder. 

“Hey! Wait!” he gasped.

They ignored him and he was carried outside the apartment complex. The shoulder of his kidnapper cut into his stomach and it took him a few moments to gather his breath.

“What do you think you’re doing?! This is kidnapping! I–,” he cut off as dread spread through him like ice in his veins. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. His thoughts immediately went to Kibum and he started squirming the best he could to get free. “You’re from the circus, aren’t you?!” he panted, the shoulder pressing into his stomach digging deeper. “Kibum… what have you done… to Kibum?!”

Silence was the only answer he received as he was carried through town. His kidnappers kept to the shadows even though the streets were deserted. Jonghyun pushed and squirmed and kicked, desperately trying to break free, but he had to give up after a while. His arms ached and the skin on his stomach was rubbed raw.

“You did something to him!” he raised his voice, hoping someone would hear him and come to help. “What did you do to Kibum?!”

The man who was not carrying him appeared in his field of vision. Jonghyun could feel his eyes watching him from underneath the hood obscuring his face and he glared at him until he pulled the fabric down. The face the moon and streetlights illuminated was the last one Jonghyun expected and his mouth fell open.

“Taemin?” he gawked. Then… did that mean the one carrying him was Minho?

Taemin appraised him gravely, his eyes filled with regret.

“I’m sorry Jonghyun. I don’t want to do this, but I can’t go against The Owner.”

“What?”

“I have no choice. Neither does Minho.”

So it was Minho carrying him.

“You can’t be serious!” He started struggling again. “For fuck’s sake! What is it he’s doing to control you?! Why?!”

Minho came to a halt and Taemin just shook his head. Then he raised his hands up to Jonghyun's throat. Jonghyun’s heart lodged itself in his throat.

“Taemin, wait–”

His plea fell on deaf ears and fingers closed around his throat, cutting off his air. Taemin wasn’t looking at him, eyes squeezed shut. Jonghyun had to close his own eyes after a few moments when the world began spinning, and a few tears rolled down his cheek. The sound of the waves were close and he realised they had to be near the bridge when everything began to fade.

The last thing he heard before everything disappeared was a whispered apology.

As soon as Jonghyun regained consciousness he wished he could go back to the bliss of darkness. His body was aching as if he had been run over by a bus and his head throbbed with every heartbeat. He scrunched up his face and, with herculean effort, rolled onto his side, groaning. It wasn’t until he pressed his palm against the the ground to try and sit up that he realised he was lying on someone’s floor.

“What?” he mumbled, still keeping his eyes closed as pain rolled over him.

“Good,” said a voice he distantly recognised. “You’re awake.”

He blinked his eyes open. Jessica was perched on a desk with her legs crossed, examining her nails. He groaned again as he sat up slowly, rubbing the end of his spine. His entire body protested the new position and it was a little hard to breathe. He hoped he didn’t have any broken ribs.

“What’s happening?” he asked, voice raspy. His heart skipped a beat as he remembered the feeling of dread that had filled him before he was knocked out and he scrambled to his feet, forgetting the pain. “Kibum!”

He glanced around the room, which looked to be a office, and quickly located the exit. He hurried over to it but only made it halfway before it morphed into the wall, sending his heart through his chest. As the door disappeared, the entire room transformed and suddenly he was standing in what seemed to be only empty air. Everything was white, no contours anywhere. Jonghyun let out a yelp of fright and swivelled around to see a completely unbothered Jessica still sitting on the desk, now the only thing in the empty dimension they had been swallowed by. She looked up when she noticed him staring and wiggled her fingers with a small smirk.

“Illusionist. Remember?”

Jonghyun sighed, rubbing his face. He had no idea what was going on anymore.

“Okay, what is this?”

“You’ve been kidnapped,” she kindly let him know and, to his astonishment, giggled. How was this funny?

He stared at her incredulously for a few seconds, unsure how to take the situation. Not to mention her behaviour.

“I know that. Taemin and Minho–”

“You were kidnapped again.”

Puzzled, Jonghyun’s mouth snapped closed. She smiled, clearly amused by his nonplussed state.

“I kidnapped you,” she explained. “They got the orders to kill you and, since I’m the illusionist I am, I saved you.”

“I still… don’t understand…”

“The Owner had Minho and Taemin go get you in order to strangle you unconscious and throw you off the cliff, leaving you no chance of survival.”

Jonghyun opened and closed his mouth, unable to find anything to say. She jumped down from the desk, which disappeared, and walked over to him. Once she reached him, she kneeled down and took in his face, caressing his cheek.

“I had them think they threw you in the ocean, but you were actually just thrown onto the bridge, where I retrieved you with the help of a friend.”

Well, that explained the soreness of his body.

Jessica leaned in uncomfortably close, forcing him to lean back as she examined his face intently.

“But why them?” Jonghyun frowned, trying to get her away by gently pushing on her shoulders. “I thought we were friends.”

Jessica laughed humorlessly and thankfully put some space between them.

“You are. But they are the easiest for The Owner to influence and follow orders well.”

“What do you mean?” Jonghyun asked. “Is this the same thing that keeps Kibum from talking about stuff?”

Getting up again, Jessica turned and made her way back to where the desk had stood.

“When The Owner recruits performers he makes them sing a contract. In blood.”

Jonghyun drew in a sharp breath.

“_Blood _?!”

Back still turned, she nodded.

“That is his way of controlling us. That’s his abnormality. If he gets the blood of the person he wants to control on a contract, he has power over them. It’s not infinite but it is enough to not be entirely your own person once you sign.”

Jonghyun’s body went cold and his heart sank. This was not good. This was not good at all. He knew there was something off about The Owner and he absolutely couldn’t let this go on. He couldn’t let Kibum be forced against his will to do things he didn’t want and he couldn’t leave him tied down to the circus forever.

“I have to get Kibum.” Jonghyun spun around and reached his hands out blindly, trying to locate the exit.

Jessica laughed, but this time it sounded weird.

“I wouldn’t bother.”

Clenching his fists, he rounded on her and took a threatening step forward.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!” he growled and she raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “I’m getting Kibum and I’m getting him _ now _!”

“Fine, be that way.” Jessica shrugged.

Jonghyun was about to turn away from her again when he suddenly found himself tackled to the floor. Jessica perched on top of him, a small dagger pressed to the juncture of his throat and jaw.

“You have no _ idea,_” she hissed.

“What?” Jonghyun gasped, his air-supply cut off by her weight.

“I wanted you from the very first time you stepped foot in this place,” she said in a low voice and his eyes widened as she leaned in, her long, blonde hair falling around them like a curtain. “I thought everything would work out when I saw you in the audience on the premiere night, so I made you come back.” The point of her dagger caressed down Jonghyun's throat to his chest, where his heart was. “But then you just had to run into him. Why? Why couldn’t you just go inside instead of going around to the back? You can’t leave with him! You have to _ stay _!”

The air around them seemed to tremble and Jessica’s eyes didn’t quite look clear, as if she weren’t fully there. For a moment Jonghyun worried she was being controlled by the Owner, but he wanted him gone. Maybe something else was?

“What do you want from me?” He struggled to get out from underneath her.

“It’s not something I want from you, it’s you. You have to stay,” she murmured. “And as long as The Owner lives you will never have Key.”

“What the hell?”

“The Owner will kill you before he lets you come anywhere near Key again,” Jessica said. “Besides Key will probably have heard that you are supposedly dead by now.”

“Which is exactly why I have to go find him!” Jonghyun groaned in frustration. What was it she didn’t understand?!

“It won’t do anything.”

“How the fuck would you know?” he growled.

“Because he’s about to die.”

Jonghyun froze, his breath caught in his throat and his heart erratic, trying to claw out of his chest like a panicked bird.

“No,” he whispered. “You’re lying.”

She gave a grim smile.

“He told you about his mother, right? Did he tell you how she died?”

Fear twisted his insides and he could do nothing but stare at her, trying to catch his breath.

“She had a way of going into a coma-like state, cutting herself off from the world and the things that weighed on her conscious, like her love’s death, for a few hours.” Jonghyun blinked at her. He didn’t like where this was going. “And one day she didn’t wake up. Her entire bodily system had shut down and she died a peaceful death. Key has that same ability.”

“He– he can’t–”

“He already did,” Jessica interrupted. “And he will most probably die since he never learned how to control that state, unlike his mother.”

Jonghyun started struggling against her again. He needed to find Kibum now more than ever. He had to wake him up.

“Why are you doing this?!” he yelled at her when he hadn’t managed to budge even a nanometre. How could she be so strong?

“I told you already.” She grabbed his chin to make him look at her, pressing the dagger to his throat again. “You were not supposed to fall in love with Key and take him away. You were supposed to stay.”

She leaned in close again, still that weird look in her eyes, and Jonghyun tried to free himself from her grip. He had no desire whatsoever to be this close to her. Ever.

“Well done, Jessica,” a voice said and Jessica’s eyes widened. “I can always count on you to get the job done. I suppose Minho and Taemin couldn’t do it after all.”

Jessica swiftly got off of him, the dagger accidentally grazing Jonghyun's throat and drawing some blood. She turned to the voice, bowing deeply.

“I was just about to finish, Owner. He is not yet dead.”

Jonghyun froze for a moment, not daring to look in the direction she was bowing as he sat up and pressed his hand to the shallow wound in his throat. But it was kind of impossible to avoid since there was nothing else to look at in the empty space around them.

Wait, how had The Owner even gotten there?

It hit Jonghyun that maybe he was the only one seeing the room as completely empty. Jessica was an illusionist after all, she could probably make him see other things than what he was actually seeing.

“Your services won’t be needed any longer, Jessica,” The Owner said, gazing at him with a wicked glint in his eyes. Jonghyun stood on wobbly legs. “I’d rather do this myself now that he is right here.”

Jonghyun swallowed nervously, slowly backing away towards what he prayed was the door, the window, anything.

“I’d rather just leave,” he said weakly, coming to a stop as his back hit something solid. “Maybe even move to another country, who knows?”

Neither of them looked amused at all and he fiddled with his fingers. The room fell quiet for a moment as The Owner glared at Jonghyun and Jessica looked between them worriedly. Then The Owner slowly walked over to what Jonghyun assumed was the desk. He really couldn’t tell though.

“You took Kibum away from me,” The Owner stated slowly, voice filled with so much hatred Jonghyun could practically feel the scorching heat of them.

He swallowed, shaking as he tried to surreptitiously search the wall behind him for the doorknob. He needed to stall.

“Uh… d-did I?” he stammered.

But then the words truly sank in and anger flared up in him. _ He _ took Kibum away? He glared at The Owner, his search forgotten. Instead he stood straight and met his eyes evenly.

“I don’t think you own him. In any way, shape, or form.”

The Owner’s eyes narrowed dangerously but Jonghyun was not going to back down. Kibum was not an object that could be owned. Especially not by The Owner. Jonghyun would see to that, even if he had to die for it.

A low, menacing laugh came from The Owner and he moved to pick up something Jonghyun couldn’t see. Jessica gasped in horror and suddenly the room returned around him. He wished it hadn’t, because he was now staring at a gun pointed straight at him. The Owner smirked.

Never had Jonghyun imagined that his life would end by being shot. He had always thought he would grow old, have kids and grandkids to brighten up his days in a small house somewhere in the suburbs. But as he heard the click of the safety latch and saw the deranged gleam in The Owner’s eyes it all seemed so impossible. He could hardly believe that the last thing he would hear in his life would be a gunshot instead of a child’s laughter. He could only hope it would be fast enough to be painless.

And then he heard it, so loud his ears hurt. But that wouldn’t matter. They were soon never going to hurt again.

It was weird, Jonghyun thought. Very weird. He had distinctly heard two shots, but he felt no pain and hadn’t even noticed the passing from living to dead. Admittedly, he had squeezed his eyes shut as soon as he saw The Owner press down on the trigger, but did that really matter? He still should have noticed.

He squinted his eyes open tentatively as he heard two thumps and a soft whimpering somewhere close.

A gasp escaped him as he took in the room. There was blood running down the wall in front of him and splattered on his shirt. He was pretty sure it wasn’t his own, because the stains weren’t growing larger.

The whimper sounded again and Jonghyun looked down at the floor by his feet. Jessica was lying on her side, curled in on herself and shivering uncontrollably. He quickly glanced around for The Owner and saw him crumpled on the floor on the other side of the room. His eyes were empty and even more lifeless than they had been before, and the hilt of Jessica’s dagger stuck out of his forehead, going all the way to the back and pinning his head to the wall

Jonghyun's stomach rolled and he shuddered, looking back at Jessica. He kneeled down beside her, carefully and gently turning her towards him. She groaned in pain, hands pressed to her chest just beneath her throat. She looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes.

“Hey,” Jonghyun said soothingly, forcing himself not to gag at the metallic smell of blood slowly filling the room.

“Jo-Jonghyun,” she whispered, breaths labored. She looked terrified. “I’m... sorry.”

“Shh,” he murmured and swallowed harshly, worriedly glancing down at her hands that no longer could conceal the pooling blood. “It’s okay, I forgive you.”

She shook her head weakly, a tremble going through her entire body.

“Don’t… I deserve…”

It was clear it took a lot of effort for her to speak properly and he could see her no longer clouded eyes swimming in and out of focus as she tried to cling onto life but still so willingly wanted to give up. She closed her eyes for a moment, gathering herself with a ragged breath, before she looked up at him again.

“I… killed him,” she panted.

Swallowing, Jonghyun nodded.

“And you took the bullets for me,” he whispered to which she made the tiniest nod.

“I couldn’t... let you... die,” she got out between breaths and smiled weakly, another tremble shaking her. 

“But…” Jonghyun bit his lip, guilt washing over him. “I don’t want you to die either.”

Her eyes widened in shock and she stared at him incredulously.

“What?” she croaked.

“Even though I’m furious with you, I don’t want you dead,” he said.

Jessica smiled again and her eyes glimmered with tears that soon spilled over, running down her temples and into her hair. It was true. He didn’t want someone to die just because they had made him angry or caused him trouble. Besides, she had saved his life twice now.

“Can… I...” Her voice was almost inaudible and Jonghyun had to lean in slightly to hear her. “The… circus… love...”

“I don’t understand,” Jonghyun said quietly.

She sighed, eyes closing.

“Don’t... leave...”

It was so faint that, hadn’t it been completely silent in the room otherwise, Jonghyun wouldn’t have heard her. He could see the strength and willpower to stay alive quickly seeping out of her.

“I won’t,” he reassured her, grabbing one of her hands.

“Hug?” she whispered.

He hesitated for a second, but gathered her in his arms and stroked her hair, rocking them from side to side like he was lulling her to sleep instead of death.

It didn’t take long for her to go completely still in his arms, her body growing heavier and her chest no longer moving with breaths. He gently laid her limp body back on the floor, for the first time feeling tears sting in his eyes as the shock passed. He took deep, slow breaths to calm the oncoming panic.

He was the reason she had died. She had taken the bullets instead of him and now she was dead. Why she went to such lengths to protect him he would never know, and he would live with the guilt for a long time.

The breathing didn’t help. He was hyperventilating now, tears rolling down his cheeks and panic running rampant inside him. He needed to get out and find Kibum, wake him up. But he couldn’t move. His limbs refused to listen.

Through the panic, he didn’t notice the strange mist that filled the room until it grew so thick it stung his eyes. He blinked, glancing around as he dried the tears away, his already fast heartbeat picking up. What was happening?

“There has to be an owner… there always has to be an owner…” an ominous, disembodied voice echoed, whispered, murmured, hissed, and yelled all at the same time through the fog and a terrified noise ripped from Jonghyun. “The circus needs an owner…”

He scrambled back as the voice grew louder, closer, and the mist thickened. His back hit the wall and he looked around wildly, trying to find the person causing this. Something hit him square in the chest, then, so hard it knocked the breath out of him and he doubled over with a breathless groan. What felt like molten metal spread through his veins and left him gasping for air through pained whimpers. He clawed at his skin, trying to get the feeling to disappear, but it only intensified until it was so hot he thought he would combust. Something nice and cool pressed against his cheek and he realised he had slumped to the floor, his legs giving out as the burn continued to spread throughout his entire body. It traveled from his veins to his nerves and muscles to finally sink into the core of his body, fading away until he was left gulping down air in his deprived lungs. The mist thinned out around him, leaving the room visible once more.

As soon as he could see again, he discovered the door just behind him. Though his body screamed in protest, he rose on shaking legs and bolted out of the room. He ran down an unfamiliar corridor and what seemed like an endless set of stairs until he finally, finally arrived in a hallway at the end of which he glimpsed the entrance hall. He had to find Kibum and get out fast.

He burst into the entrance hall and skidded to a stop, his breath caught in his throat.

The entire circus was there, standing huddled together. They all turned their heads towards him, staring as if he had suddenly grown an extra head.

“Uh…” Jonghyun said unintelligently, voice cracking.

Then his knees gave out.

To his surprise, all of them rushed forward to catch him. Taemin and Minho reached him first and grabbed his arms. He didn’t even have the mind to be mad at them for attempting to kill him as they pulled him over to sit him down on the stairs. A hushed murmur rippled through the rest of the circus.

“Th-The Owner,” Jonghyun stammered. “He and Jessica... they’re dead.”

“We know,” someone he couldn’t see said.

The murmuring continued and Jonghyun felt dizzy. Frowning deeply, he closed his eyes and wished they would just stop making all that noise. His panicked mind couldn’t take it. Even though his eyes were closed, everything spun and he careened into the wall. Someone grabbed his arm again and there was a voice Jonghyun didn’t recognise. The only thing he knew for certain was that he needed to find Kibum.

“I need to find Kibum,” he said loudly over the clamour and to his relief all of them quieted down. He took a steadying breath and squinted his eyes open. “Please. He’ll die.”

They peered at him in silence, appraising him, until a voice spoke again. This time Jonghyun could see to whom it belonged, as the fire-boy he had met with Jinki what seemed like eons ago took a step forward.

“You have to take the oath first,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“What?” Jonghyun said, bewildered. “What oath?”

“Well…” The boy glanced around, worrying his bottom lip. The others fidgeted anxiously. “You’re the new owner.”

“Excuse me?”

“Uhm,” the boy said, not quite meeting Jonghyun’s eyes. “The owner of the circus? You know… being in charge of this place? The– the boss?”

Jonghyun stared at him in disbelief for a second. Then he stood, his legs still weak and buckling, sending him once again into the wall. Minho and Taemin swiftly grabbed his arms so he wouldn’t hit his head and held him steady, but he barely noticed them as he looked from one nervous face to the other, the panic rushing back in.

“This is not right!” he almost yelled, chest heaving. “T-this can’t be happening! I can’t be the – the owner! _ No _!”

He shook the hands on him off and stumbled in the direction he knew Kibum's room was. They needed to get out. He couldn’t be trapped here with these insane people.

He didn’t get far before what felt like a hundred hands grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him in the other direction. Flailing his arms wildly, he stumbled backwards down the way he had come. Though he tried valiantly to break free, it was a lost cause and he had no option but to follow.

“What the heck are you doing?!” he exclaimed.

“We can’t let you go just yet,” Jinki's voice said somewhere behind him and Jonghyun wanted to punch him in the face.

“Why the fuck not?!” he growled and finally managed to break free of their hold. He rounded on them, glaring.

They all seemed to shrink back a little.

“Because you need to take the oath,” said the cute girl who had showed him to Kibum's room, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. “The Spirit of the Circus chose you.”

He blinked at her a few times and then looked at the rest of them. They all looked so nervous, nearly cowering as his gaze fell upon them.

Were they afraid of him?

Narrowing his eyes, he took a cautious step forward, his eyebrows rising as some took a small step back while others clenched their jaws and stayed in place.

“The Spirit of the Circus,” Jonghyun repeated skeptically and they nodded. “Is there something I should know?” he asked and they glanced around at each other. “Are you afraid of me because of that? Because of the… Spirit of the Circus thing?”

“We-well,” a girl, half-hidden behind the cute one, said. “We don’t know what you’re capable of yet.”

His stomach flipped as another murmur went through the performers. What he was capable of? What did that even mean?

He was about to turn around and try escaping again, when a tall man Jonghyun vaguely remembered as one of the dancers in the opening act stepped forward and grabbed his arm.

“Come,” he said urgently, voice smooth. His partner grabbed Jonghyun's other arm, her fingernails digging into his skin.

Before he could manage any other thought than ‘what?’ he was ushered back up the stairs he had run down just moments before, half dragged by the dance couple and half pushed by everyone else following behind. The urgency in their movements was almost tangible in the air and it put Jonghyun’s stomach in knots. His heart sank and his blood ran cold as he realised he was being forced back into the very room he had just managed to escape and he started struggling.

“No! Wait!” he said desperately, fighting once again without much success. Nausea washed over him as the bodies of The Owner and Jessica came into view as soon as the door opened.

To his astonishment, however, all the others barely spared them a glance and dragged him to the furthest corner of the room, which was thankfully as far as they could get from the bloody scene. There was still a hint of blood in the air, though, and Jonghyun nearly dry heaved.

“What–?” he began.

The man and woman dragged him over to stand in front of the only bookcase in the room and all the other performers crowded up behind him. Confused, he cast a cursory glance over the spines of the books, but couldn’t find anything that looked important.

“Okay. What is this?” he sighed and turned around.

All of them had huddled so close he nearly came nose to nose with some of them and he had to take a small step back. They watched him with wide, expectant eyes. An exasperated noise left him and he closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead.

“Guys, I don’t have time for this! Kibum is–!”

“Take out the book with the green back.”

Jonghyun looked up but couldn’t identify the speaker.

“But Kibum–!”

“If you do this, you can help Key,” Jinki said. “If you don’t, you won’t be able to leave this place alive.”

Jonghyun's heart skipped a beat and a cold lump landed in his gut.

“What?” he gasped.

“Just take out the book and you will understand.”

He swallowed, hesitating, his eyes glancing at the door. He considered making a run for it, but he didn’t want to test the theory that he would die. Resigned, he turned back to the bookcase, looking for the book with the green cover. He found it at the bottom and knelt down, pulling it out with a shaky hand. He stared at it for a moment, the cover plain and unassuming, like a simple journal.

And he had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to understand about it. He glanced over his shoulder.

“Uh… now what?” he asked dumbly.

“You open it,” Taemin and Minho said at the same time.

Jonghyun looked down at the book in his hands again, taking a deep, shaky breath. He carefully opened the cover with trembling fingers, as if it were a live being that could spring into motion and bite him at any time. The inside was filled with intelligible scribbles and, looking at it, he felt more stupid than ever and irritation surged through him. He couldn’t read these and he had just wasted precious time following along the performers’ whims.

Just as that thought went through his head, the scribbles moved, like small ants crawling over the page. Jonghyun stared at them wide-eyed. He didn’t understand how, and he was sure everything was still very much intelligible, but suddenly he could read every single sentence in the book, turning page after page, almost possessed.

It seemed like some sort of contract, but it was told like a story with hand drawn pictures and everything, taking him back in time and showing him how every one of the performers behind him had been found and taken in, creating a makeshift family. Jonghyun gasped as his head filled with the names and ages, abilities and weaknesses, fears and dreams of everyone present, his head spinning. In the midst of it all a small trickle of guilt made its way through him. He felt as if he was intruding on the performers private lives, but he didn’t know how to stop it.

Then he saw himself. How he, from the very beginning, had been connected to this place and how the events which had unfolded had been inevitable. His blood ran cold as he witnessed The Owner realising who he was and how threatened he felt. Not only because of Kibum, but because of how the Spirit of the Circus seemed to yearn for Jonghyun. However, the Spirit of the Circus wasn’t attached to The Owner, but to Jessica, emitting a small, warm glow in her chest.

For a moment, Jonghyun didn’t understand. If The Owner wasn’t chosen by the Spirit, then how did he own the circus?

The book must have heard his thoughts, because it flipped back a few pages and showed him how The Owner had tricked Jessica into signing a blood contract, thus gaining complete control.

Jonghyun felt sick, but he couldn’t look away. He watched the pages ruffle and flip and soon they took him to the story of how The Owner and Jessica died and how the glow in Jessica’s chest was knocked free. How it floated around aimlessly for a second, as if confused and disoriented, before it moved to Jonghyun. The book told him how it had moved into his chest, connecting him with thin, web-like strings to all the other performers. It showed him how, like it or not, he now had control over them, and it was terrifying.

The book grew hotter, as did his chest, and he let it go with a gasp. It fell to the floor with a soft thud and he swivelled around to stare at all the circus performers, wide-eyed.

“What just happened?” he breathed and stood.

“You let the spirit of the circus connect and merge with your soul,” the woman from the opening act Jonghyun now knew as Hyori said quietly.

“I did what?!”

“Calm down,” Hyuk, the fire boy he’d met with Jinki, said soothingly.

“Can someone please explain to me what is going on?!” Jonghyun demanded.

To his surprise, all the performers seemed to stop breathing at the same time and there was a chill in the air. Something told him he was the one causing it and he squeezed his eyes shut, took a deep, forced breath, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Jinki,” Jonghyun gritted out, his voice holding more authority than he had ever heard himself exude. “Help me keep calm.”

Jinki cleared his throat and took a hesitant step forward.

“You’re giving me permission?”

Jonghyun opened his eyes to scowl at him and he quickly made his way to his side, taking a small breath. Calm washed over him, slowing his heartbeat and breathing, smoothing out his frown.

“Now,” Jonghyun sighed, still in the same unfamiliar and authoritative manner. “Someone.”

“The reason you had to read that book is simple,” the man from the opening act, Jihoon, spoke up. “The Spirit of the Circus chose you. In order for you to survive when it merged with your core it had to give you its experiences and knowledge, which is written in the book. It also determined your… abnormality.”

Jonghyun frowned at him.

“My abnormality?”

All of the performers nodded in unison.

“Everyone has some sort of abnormality,” Hongbin, another of the seven fire boys said. “Some are just stronger than others’. Yours woke up because of the Spirit of the Circus.”

“Your abnormality is probably some sort of telekinesis,” Jinki added.

Jonghyun turned to him with a sharp, “what?”

He motioned to the book, which was flopping around on the floor as if it were agitated. Jonghyun gaped at it and, half expecting it not to work, told it to stop. It calmed down and laid still, looking like a normal journal again.

“Great,” Jonghyun said, throwing his hands in the air. “Awesome. What am I supposed to do with that? I don’t want it. Nor do I want to be the owner.”

“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice,” Jinki murmured. “You’re bound to this place now and the Spirit of the Circus might go out of control and kill you, as well as all of us, if you leave its circus to crumble.”

He dragged both of his hands down his face with a groan. This was not how he had pictured his future at all. He just wanted to graduate uni, get a proper job and live out his days peacefully – preferably with Kibum – in some nice little town. How did he even get into this mess? How did he get the lives of other people in his hands?

Looking up at the rest of the performers, he watched their apprehensive faces and tense postures. Their eyes never left his face as they waited for his verdict. As if he could ever walk away, knowing he was leaving certain death behind. How would he ever explain this to his boss? His professors? His family?

He let out a long sigh, tilted his head back, and gazed up at the ceiling.

“Okay,” he said quietly, after a moment of gathering his courage and determination. “Okay. But under no circumstance do I want to be called owner.” He glanced at the book behind him, remembering the contracts written in them and coming to another decision. “And your contracts will be nullified,” he added. “You stay because you choose to, not because you are forced.”

“The Spirit of the Circus will let you do that?” Taemin asked hesitantly.

“It will have to if it wants me to keep the circus going,” Jonghyun answered with conviction. “I will not forcefully bind anyone to this place. You all will be free, whether you choose to stay or not.”

Something tugged at his thoughts and a memory he was certain was not his own surfaced.The Spirit of the Circus wanted a full circus, yes, but it didn’t need a contract. Instead it was Jonghyun’s job as the owner to find performers, and keep them happy so they stayed. The contract was simply a scare tactic The Owner had come up with to make them sign their lives away and give him power.

Jonghyun felt calmer knowing that. Keeping people happy he could do. Holding them against their will he refused.

“Now,” he said. “I want to see Kibum.”

Everyone immediately straightened up and, once again, either pulled or pushed him out of the room, down the corridor and along the familiar path to Kibum’s room. They stopped outside the door and all of them waited for him to make the first move. Jonghyun swallowed harshly and put a hand on the doorknob, his heart beating a mile a minute and his thoughts spinning. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what was on the other side.

“About the bodies…” he started, stalling.

“We’ll take care of it,” the Fire Harmony said in unison.

Giving them a tight smile and a short nod, he gathered his courage and opened the door.

It really wasn’t as bad as he had imagined. It all seemed so still and normal. There was no sign of a struggle. He stepped inside the colourful room and closed the door behind him, sagging against it now that he was no longer watched by everyone else, exhaustion, worry, and fear slamming into him like a wrecking ball. He took another deep breath to keep himself in control, raising his head.

His heart nearly stopped when his eyes landed upon the still figure of Kibum, lying under the covers in his bed, breathing so softly it almost looked as if he was not breathing at all. Jonghyun approached him slowly, gaze never leaving his face.

Kibum looked like he was only sleeping and as if just a small nudge would make him blink his eyes open and disorientedly focus them on Jonghyun. But Jonghyun knew that wouldn’t happen when he gently sat down on the edge of the bed and Kibum continued to lie as still as he probably had been for a long time. A lump formed in his throat as he took in the serene expression on his pale face.

“Kibum,” he said quietly, his voice coming out choked. He cleared his throat and scooted closer. “He’s gone. The Owner’s dead, so you can wake up now... please?”

There was no response and tears pressed behind Jonghyun’s eyes. He took a deep, shaky breath, and his trembling fingers gently caressed Kibum's cheek.

“Kibum, please,” he whispered unevenly, cupping his face. “Please. Wake up.”

Kibum remained motionless in his bed and Jonghyun couldn’t keep the tears in. Soon the first drop rolled down his cheek, unhindered, and he sniffed quietly, brushing it away. He stroked Kibum's hair tenderly and leaned in to press his lips to his forehead.

“Please,” he mumbled, another tear falling. “I need you to be alive.”

He took a shuddering breath and laid down, gently pulling Kibum into his arms.

“Please,” he whispered for what seemed like the hundredth time into Kibum's hair. He didn’t care. He would beg as much as he needed without hesitation if it brought the beautiful, line dancer, who held all the pieces of his heart, back into his life.

There was a small tug on his pant leg and Jonghyun looked down. A little girl shyly peered up at him through her fringe, clutching a ragdoll rabbit to her chest with the hand that wasn’t grabbing onto him. Her long, chestnut hair drifted in the breeze and her baby-blue sundress fluttered.

Jonghyun smiled at her and crouched down.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he greeted.

Her big eyes blinked at him and Jonghyun glanced around for her parents. His eyes travelled over people lounging on benches or taking a leisurely stroll across the bridge and around the Dome in the afternoon sun, chatting and laughing. The chatter was accompanied by shirll greetings from seagulls and the white noise of waves.

The benches had been his idea to make the place seem more inviting and not so forbidden. He was quite proud that it had worked, as people had taken to strolling to the dome and chatting with performers whenever they were out and about and it made the performers not feel so cut off from the world.

Some of which he spotted hanging out of a window and waving at the few people who noticed them. He couldn’t spot any frantic parents though.

“Where are your parents?” Jonghyun turned back to the little girl.

She squirmed where she stood, not answering. Jonghyun's heart softened and he picked her up, setting her on his hip. She was so small and light.

“Were you going to buy tickets to see the circus?” he asked kindly. She gave him another shy eye cast before shaking her head. “Do you want to see it?”

A nod.

Jonghyun chuckled and dug around in his jean pocket until he found a foreign, golden coin. He held it up for the little girl to see.

“This is a magic coin I got from a friend,” he said secretively and interest lit up her eyes. “See, if I do this…” He put his hand behind her ear and said some nonsense words. Then he pulled his hand back to reveal a golden ticket – a little amateur trick he had learned from their new illusionist. “It becomes this.”

The little girl giggled excitedly, clapping her hands, and Jonghyun chuckled with her.

“Here you go,” he said gently, handing her the ticket. “It’s a special ticket for you and your family.”

“Minji!” a woman’s voice called.

The little girl turned around in his arms, her face beaming. What appeared to be her mother and father hurried towards them from the direction of the Dome.

“Mama!”

Jonghyun put her down on the ground when they were close enough and she ran back to her parents. The father caught her as she jumped at them and the mother looked over at him apologetically.

“I am so sorry, she wandered off on her own,” she explained.

Jonghyun gave her a friendly smile.

“It’s okay. She was very well behaved.”

Minji’s parents shared a proud look.

“Are you here for the performance tonight?” Jonghyun inquired.

They sigh.

“We were going to get tickets since we leave town tomorrow, but it’s all sold out,” the father said, somewhat sheepishly. “We are passing through and heard the circus is amazing, but clearly you need to book months in advance.”

Jonghyun's smile widened and he nodded to the ticket in Minji’s hands.

“I just gave her a ticket so she could bring her family to the circus tonight.”

Surprised, the father and mother looked down at the golden ticket.

“Oh no, we couldn’t!” the mother started to protest but Jonghyun held up a hand to stop her.

“It’s nothing much. I’ve seen the performances many times.”

Never mind he was actually the owner of the circus. It kind of came with the job.

“But–,” the father started.

“Jonghyun!”

Turning around, he saw Jieun, their new illusionist, in the entrance door, waving him over. He nodded and turned back to the small family.

“I must leave now.” He smiled at them one last time. “I hope you have fun tonight and enjoy the show!”

He left quickly, before they could protest any more, waving at the little girl as he went.

“What was that?” Jieun asked when he reached her, eyeing him with raised eyebrows. “Did you kidnap their child?”

“No, I did not!” he said indignantly as the door closed behind them. “She was lost and I helped her! I even gave her a golden ticket for tonight!”

Her smile turned warm and she looked at the retreating backs of the family through the glass doors. Then she patted his shoulder and led the way to his office.

“She was cute.”

Jonghyun smiled and followed her.

“Yeah.”

Both of them fell into comfortable silence then, as they usually did ever since they had become friends.

A year had passed since The Owner and Jessica had died and Jonghyun took charge of the circus. They had been closed for the first few months, as he tried to accustom himself to his new life and gain control and an overview of what he had to do. The performers, who chose to stay despite him setting them free, helped him a lot and he would be eternally grateful for their patience.

It had started out very shakily, since he was still quite distressed over the fact that Kibum wasn’t waking up however much he tried. He had slept beside him every night and spent every part of his free time, which wasn’t all that much, beside his bed in hopes of bringing him back to the world of the living, telling him about all the things he had to do and learn.

He also had to quit classes, which actually saddened him a little. But he didn’t have the time and he was still undecided on what program he wanted to go, so maybe being the owner of the circus full time was a good thing for a little while.

When he had felt confident enough about what he was doing, he had started changing things around the circus. First of all, he had properly terminated the contracts and told all the performers they were free to do whatever they wanted. There had been a great change in the atmosphere inside the circus building and everything seemed brighter. The performers had taken some time off, going on smaller trips or just strolling around the small seaside town they never really had gotten the permission to visit.

As soon as his lease was up, Jonghyun had moved into the Dome to familiarise himself better with everything. He had found an empty room on the first floor, on the other side of the building from the previous owner’s office. After frequently using it for practicing and other things, it had naturally turned into his office and he spent a lot of time in there, exploring his new abilities. He still hadn’t found a bedroom though.

As Jinki previously had told him, he had some form of telekinesis. He could move objects and living things with his will. The living things bit he had accidentally discovered when a bird had gotten in the way of his focus on a tree branch. Even if it seemed like a very useful ability, Jonghyun had at first been reluctant to use it on people. But the performers, especially Minho and Taemin, had assured him it would help them a lot if they ever made a mistake, especially since Kibum was out of commission. So he resigned himself to using it in life threatening situations only.

He sighed as he threw himself in the armchair behind his desk, grimacing at the mess of papers on the desk. Jieun sat down in the armchair across from his.

Jieun he had found by chance when he had gone to hand in his resignation at his previous job. She had been wandering around, looking lost, and when he had asked if he could help she had lit up and told him she had just found what she was looking for, which was him. Apparently, she had had a dream about him and the circus and knew she had needed to go there. They quickly became close friends after that and ever since then she had become his right hand woman.

“What was the urgency?” he asked as he sank lower in his seat, yawning. He had stayed up all night watching Kibum again.

Jieun smiled impishly and shrugged, before fading away. Jonghyun let out a chuckle and shook his head. He should have known. She usually held up many illusions of herself so she could be in several places at once and of help to whomever needed. It made Jonghyun's job a lot easier, since she could always call on him in a matter of seconds if a problem arose.

“Oh, how nice of you!” he called into the air, knowing she could hear him from wherever she was.

Arms sneaked their way around his shoulders and a kiss landed on his cheek.

“You know, talking to yourself is often viewed as one of the steps to insanity,” a voice murmured in his ear.

Jonghyun turned his head to playfully narrow his eyes. Kibum grinned and kissed his lips this time.

“Where have you been all day?” he asked as he let go and sat on the desk, facing Jonghyun. “You were gone when I woke up.”

Jonghyun grinned and draped an arm over his thighs.

“Did you miss me?”

Kibum snorted, though his cheeks turned a faint pink.

“What if I did?”

Jonghyun's grin morphed into a tender smile and he reached up to cup Kibum’s cheek, stroking it with his thumb.

“I was just outside checking up on things and watching people come and go,” he said and closed his eyes as Kibum combed his fingers through his hair. “The weather’s really nice,” he mumbled.

Humming, Kibum continued pulling his fingers through his hair. Jonghyun forgot about the world for a little while as they sat in silence, taking a moment of calm before they both would have to go prepare for the night’s performance. It was a habit they had developed over the past months.

Kibum had woken up a little over five months ago. He had been very confused and disoriented. A lot had happened while he was in his comatose state and he had spent the first few days crying and anxious. He hadn’t been able to voice his troubles most of the time as he could barely even speak in the beginning, and he had always needed someone to be with him as his limbs had been too weak to do much. But once he had realised Jonghyun was still alive he had done his best to improve as fast as he could, rarely letting Jonghyun out of his sight if he could avoid it.

Not that Jonghyun would have had it any other way. He had spent whatever time he could helping Kibum get better and ensuring he wouldn’t disappear into whatever place he had been again. He had also taken up the habit of staying up every night – like he had during the coma – for a few weeks after Kibum had woken up to watch him sleep in fear of him slipping away again.

Thankfully, Kibum had slowly but steadily recovered. It had been a great relief because they couldn’t bring any doctors to the circus unless they wanted to become subjects of experiments. His pale skin had gotten its lustre back and his eyes had filled with life again, his body had gotten stronger and he had been up on the tightrope within two and a half months. Jonghyun still had the habit of watching him sleep from time to time, though, which was what he had been doing last night.

Fingers poked his forehead and he looked up at Kibum, who smiled.

“You’re thinking too much,” he chuckled. “And loudly.”

Jonghyun wrinkled his nose.

“Sorry. Just reminiscing these past few months.”

Kibum's smile dimmed and he looked away guiltily.

“Oh…”

Jonghyun stood up and cupped his face to make him look at him again.

“It’s not your fault. I would have done the same if I was in your position,” he said determinedly and Kibum’s smile returned, although not in its full force.

Jonghyun leaned in to press a gentle kiss to hips lips and Kibum smiled into it, putting his arms around his shoulders to pull him closer.

“Jonghyun, I just want to inform you that mandatory final checks are in five minutes,” Jieun’s voice suddenly said from some distant room but sounding as loud and clear as she if was right beside them.

Jonghyun frowned and kissed Kibum deeper, ignoring her. Kibum laughed but pressed back with as much enthusiasm.

“You do not want me to come in there, I promise you. This was not the reason I took you to your office,” she continued threateningly and Jonghyun broke the kiss with a disgruntled sigh.

Kibum looked at him, amused, and he pressed one last kiss to his lips.

“Well, we need to go, I guess,” Jonghyun muttered sullenly.

Kibum laughed again and let go of him.

“Then we probably should.”

“Yeah.” Jonghyun sighed again and Kibum grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the office and through the Dome to the stage where the other performers were already waiting.

Jieun shook her head at Jonghyun, which earned her a stuck out tongue from him and chuckles from everyone else.

“The things I do for you,” she sighed dramatically.

“You’re just a pervert,” Jonghyun shot back, grinning.

Her eyes flashed with dangerous mischief and she looked ready to jump on him. Jinki quickly stepped in-between them, stopping the oncoming chase.

“We only have three minutes left before the audience is supposed to be let in,” he said reasonably and the playfulness in the air immediately petered out.

“Right,” Jonghyun cleared his throat and looked around at all the waiting performers. It still felt a little strange being in charge of all of them. “Everyone knows their positions?”

He received unanimous nods and continued down the list of checks he knew by heart by now. It wasn’t long before the performers dispersed and he walked Kibum up to the top floor, which was also where he would be sitting in the shadows and watch everything with Jieun so that nothing went wrong.

“Good luck,” he told Kibum as they arrived at the platform that would rise to the ceiling.

He received a warm smile and a quick kiss in return. Then Kibum jumped onto the platform and waved at him as he disappeared upwards.

“You know, technically, you don’t need to wish him luck,” Jieun said from beside him.

Jonghyun smiled softly.

“I know.”

They looked at each other and broke into silly smiles.

“I think everyone is in their seats now,” Jieun said then, glancing down.

Jonghyun did the same and nodded.

“Yeah.”

He closed his eyes and all the doors closed, the lights dimmed. When he opened them again Jieun was looking at him expectantly and he grimaced. This always made him feel so silly, but all the performers had agreed that it was something he needed to do. Apparently it was a tradition.

So, he took a deep breath, trying not to mind Jieun’s amused smirk and the burning in his cheek as he, with the help of her illusion, opened his mouth, effectively hushing the crowd.

“Ladies and Gentlemen! Children and adults! We welcome you to the magical show of Cirque Fantasia!”

~The End~


	2. Extra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a little extra of when Kibum woke up and his thoughts.

Something was wrong.

That was the first thought running through Kibum's mind as he slowly eased out of his sleep. He couldn’t move a single muscle and there was a terrible ache in his chest. He tried taking deep breaths, but the earlier even rising and falling of his still chest turned to erratic gasping. He couldn’t remember why he was like this and he fear twisted his insides as he opened his eyes only to feel tears run down his temples.

He was in his room, staring up at the colourful, soft light caused by the sun shining through his tulle-covered windows. Colours that previously only served as a distraction from his grim and shameful everyday life, but seemed so much prettier now when Jonghyun had come into his life. He had put emotion in Kibum’s every day and made the colours in his life seem so much more vivid and vibrant.

A sob shook his body and he wanted to scream.

Jonghyun.

_Jonghyun_.

Jonghyun was dead. Gone. He would never hold Kibum close again, never make him smile with his stupidly cute blunders, never put colour to his cheeks and butterflies in his stomach.

The vibrant shine drained from the room.

It was all gone. The soft smiles and awkward moments, Jonghyun's warm hands and awestruck expressions, his eyes looking at Kibum as if he was something precious and making him feel beautiful all the way to his core, his voice, his laugh, his warmth, his love.

Another sob rattled through him and he could barely breathe.

Why was he awake? Why couldn’t his body have failed him like his mother’s had done? He didn’t want to live with The Owner anymore and allow him to do those disgusting things again when he knew he could have had so much more. So much, much more.

There was a gasp from somewhere beside him and Kibum turned his head with great difficulty, his eyes falling upon a young woman he had never seen before. She was curled up in a chair beside his bed, her long brown hair pulled into a ponytail and her eyes wide with excitement. She looked like she had just woken up herself, her hair was a little ruffled and there were marks on her cheek from where she had leaned it on the back of the chair.

“Oh my god,” she whispered. “Oh my god! Kibum!”

He blinked at her, beyond confused, and opened his mouth to ask who the hell she was. Well, he tried but he only managed a small croaking sound. He frowned and tried again.

“Who?” he managed rasp out.

She smiled at him warmly, as if she had known him forever, and Kibum wondered if he had forgotten some people when he disconnected from reality.

“You don’t know me,” she spoke, as if she had read his thoughts, and he raised his eyebrows at her. “I arrived a bit after you had gone into a coma. I’m Jieun, or IU, the new illusionist.”

New illusionist? What happened to Jessica?

Again, as if she had read his thoughts, Jieun answered him.

“I don’t think I should be the one to tell you what happened. I’ll go get our idiot once I’ve looked you over. You know he has barely slept for months? I had to practically lock him out of here.”

Kibum was more confused than ever. Had the new illusionist just dared to call The Owner an idiot? And he hadn’t slept for months? Kibum knew he wasn’t that emotional to lose sleep over him. Something was off.

He tried sitting up to question – well attempt to question – her more but only managed to lift his head off the pillow. Jieun was quickly at his side and helped him, a glass of water suddenly in her hands. She helped him drink it before checking his muscles silently. He continued watching her, still so utterly confused.

When she had helped him flex his limbs a few times and move around a little he felt a little more in control of himself, even if it was still painful and exhausting to simply lift his hand to dry away the wetness on his cheeks.

Jieun gave him another warm smile.

“Wait here for a moment,” was the only thing she said before she faded out of sight, leaving him all alone.

Dread slowly spread through Kibum like a cold wave and he stared emptily at the spot she disappeared from. He had no wish to see The Owner right now. Or ever really. The one and only time Kibum wanted to face him from now on was when he was strong enough to kill him for what he had done. He had caused so much pain to everyone he ever came in contact with; his unknown father, his mother, Jonghyun, all the performers in the circus.

He closed his eyes as more tears escaped down his cheeks and took a shaky breath. He didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t escape in the state he was in and he had no idea what The Owner planned to do to him because of his misbehaviour. He could only hope he would be mad enough to kill him, though it seemed unlikely. The man had almost as strong an obsession with him as he had had with his mother.

The door suddenly flew open and Kibum's heart dropped. He kept his eyes closed, squeezing them shut tighter and lowering his head. He didn’t want The Owner to see his tears. Footsteps approached slowly and Kibum swallowed, waiting for something, anything.

His eyes flew open as gentle fingers caressed down his cheek. They stopped beneath his chin to tilt it up carefully; as if the person touching him was afraid one wrong move would break him.

Kibum's breath caught in his chest as he met the warm, brown eyes belonging to Jonghyun, staring at him in wonder and disbelief.

“Kibum,” he breathed after a second, like he had just remembered he needed oxygen.

He sank down on the bed beside him slowly, never looking away as his hand moved from his chin to his cheek, down his throat, over his collarbone and along his arm to his hand, intertwining their fingers hesitantly. His other hand came up to cup Kibum’s cheek, running his thumb over his cheekbone and the still running tears.

Kibum drew in a sharp breath, tears running faster down his cheeks. Small, raspy sobs clawed their way out of his throat and he closed his eyes again, leaning into the touch.

“Kibum,” Jonghyun murmured softly, carefully pulling him into a hug. “Shh, it’s okay. Everything’s fine. You’re fine.”

Kibum continued to sob into his shirt and Jonghyun rubbed his back, still reassuring him, voice soft.

If this was some sort of illusion they had put him in, he never wanted it to end. He would gladly die in a fake world, if it meant he could be happy again. Die happy.

They sat like that until Kibum managed to calm down, Jonghyun holding him like he was a delicate porcelain doll though it seemed he wanted nothing more than to hug him as close as possible. When Kibum let out a final sniffle Jonghyun pulled back to dry his cheeks, smiling tenderly. Kibum stared at him, a mix between fear and amazement bubbling in him.

“Jonghyun,” he forced out in a small whisper, barely audible. “You died.”

Jonghyun's expression fell.

“I nearly did,” he whispered back. “But Jessica gave her life to save me and killed The Owner.”

Kibum's eyes widened. The Owner was dead?

Jonghyun smiled faintly, thumb rubbing over Kibum’s hand.

“I’m the owner now.”

Kibum couldn’t do anything other than stare, his head spinning with so many questions. Did that mean Jonghyun had an abnormality too? When had all of this happened? How?

“I’ll tell you everything when you have recovered a bit more,” Jonghyun said. “I don’t want to stress you too much.”

He leaned in and gently pressed their lips together. A lovely warmth filled Kibum all the way out to his fingertips. Jonghyun let out a watery laugh as he pulled back and Kibum managed a small smile.

“God, I was so afraid you’d never wake up,” he whispered and kissed him again. “I love you.”

Kibum really didn’t have the voice or energy to do much else besides lean in and press their lips together again. He hoped Jonghyun understood he loved him back through the kiss. Kibum thinks he might have, because he beamed as they pulled apart.

And suddenly the world seemed a lot more colourful again.


End file.
